Czechia captain Aneta Tejralova personally apologized to Canada’s Sarah Fillier on Monday for a hit that resulted in a suspension by the PWHL earlier this season, as seen in online footage from the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Tejralova approached Fillier as she was getting ready for a postgame interview following Canada’s 5-1 triumph over Czechia in a preliminary round game, with NHL Network reporter Jackie Redmond providing context of the Olympics exchange.
“I didn’t mean it … Are you okay?” Tejralova said, according to Redmond.
“Oh no, no, it’s okay. No worries … I am (okay). Good luck the rest of the way,” Fillier replied.
Tejralova’s apology comes after the Seattle Torrent defender served a two-game suspension by the PWHL for an illegal check to the head of Sirens forward Fillier during a game on Dec. 28, 2025.
The incident occurred in the first period of the Sirens’ 4-3 victory over the Torrent.
Tejralova was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct as she was ejected from the contest.
Fillier missed one game following the hit due to injury.
“The PWHL Player Safety Committee determined that Tejralova delivered a high, forceful, predatory check that made her opponent’s head the main point of contact on a play where such contact to the head was avoidable,” the league said in a statement at the time.
Monday’s Canada-Czechia women’s game was physical.
Canada’s captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, and Czechia’s Sara Cajanova and Barbora Jurickova all exited the game due to injury.
Poulin, who left the game in the first period with an apparent lower-body injury, was ruled out of the USA-Canada game Tuesday.