Czech star finally explains controversial “too many men” goal against Canada

The controversy surrounding Czechia’s third goal against Canada in the Olympic quarterfinal isn’t going away and now we’re finally hearing from someone who was on the ice.

During the third period of the matchup, Czechia appeared to have six players on the ice for an extended stretch. It’s the kind of infraction that should result in a too-many-men penalty and potentially wipe out the goal entirely. Instead, play continued.

Moments later, Ondrej Palat buried the go-ahead goal with less than eight minutes remaining, stunning Canada and sending fans into an uproar. The missed call was quickly highlighted by insiders and analysts across the hockey world.

The IIHF later acknowledged the error. Through TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, an IIHF spokesperson confirmed the play was reviewed and that a too-many-men penalty had indeed been missed. The organization emphasized that the “best of the best” officials were selected for the tournament but admitted that mistakes happen and that the group has since regrouped.

Now, Czech forward Martin Nečas has shed light on what actually happened. In an interview with Bomby k tyči, Nečas explained there was confusion during a line change in the third period.

“I guess we didn’t get along,” he said, describing how he came on the ice while another teammate did the same. “We scored the goal… and then I look around and think, ‘Man, there’s too many of us here.’”

He added with a grin: “If you want to beat Canada, you have to try everything.”

The explanation doesn’t erase the controversy but it certainly adds another layer, and a quite funny one, to one of the tournament’s most debated moments.