Dan Vladar Earns First Olympic Win as Czechia Rallies Past France
Dan Vladar’s Olympic debut didn’t come with a shutout or a highlight-reel performance-but it came with something far more important: a win. The Flyers netminder got the nod for Team Czechia in their second game of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and helped backstop a 6-3 victory over France.
It wasn’t exactly a heavy workload for Vladar-he faced just 12 shots and made nine saves-but the game wasn’t without its turbulence. After a quiet first period, France managed to sneak three goals past Vladar in the second, capitalizing on a stretch where they put up seven shots and found the net on nearly half of them. It was a rough patch, no doubt, but Czechia didn’t flinch.
Instead, they responded with authority-rattling off four unanswered goals to take control and never look back. The offensive push was led by a pair of NHL stars in David Pastrnak and Martin Necas, each notching a goal and an assist to pace the attack.
And the go-ahead tally? It came short-handed-a momentum-swinging dagger that flipped the script and sealed the deal.
For Vladar, this was more than just a win on the stat sheet. It marked a milestone moment: his first Olympic appearance. After backing up Lukas Dostal in the opener against Canada, Vladar got his shot in Game 2 and, despite the mid-game wobble, helped deliver Czechia’s first victory of the tournament.
It’s also a continuation of what’s been a steady international climb for Vladar, who turned heads with his performance at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Now, on the Olympic stage, he’s adding to that résumé-and giving Czechia another viable option in net as the tournament rolls on.
The win puts Czechia back on track after their opening loss and gives them some momentum heading into the next phase of group play. With veterans like Pastrnak and Necas leading the charge and Vladar showing he can weather the storm, this team has the pieces to make a real push.