It’s official. Connor McDavid and Team Canada have won the silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano, Italy. They fell to Team USA by a score of 2-1 in overtime. Their success at the Winter Games was largely driven by the play of McDavid, who was easily the best forward in the entire tournament.
Jack Hughes scored the overtime golden goal 1:41 into 3-on-3 sudden-death. Matt Boldy opened the scoring for the U.S., while Cale Makar tied it late in the second. Both goalies, Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington, were outstanding, but Hughes’ clutch wrister, assisted by Zach Werenski, sealed the win—America’s first men’s Olympic gold in hockey since 1980, exactly 46 years after the “Miracle on Ice.”
McDavid & Canada Wins Silver
McDavid did not just meet expectations. He blew past them. He leaves Italy with 14 points, officially setting the record for the most points by any player in a single Olympic tournament in the NHL era. After pulling Canada through a massive scare against Finland in the semifinals. He gave his all in the gold medal game but came up short.
McDavid broke the record. He just did not get the ending Canada wanted. Despite a historic 14-point performance that rewrote the Olympic record book, Team Canada fell short in the gold medal game against the United States.
Canada’s dramatic run finally caught up to them. After comeback wins over Czechia and Finland, the climb proved too steep in the final. American depth and goaltending were the difference, even with McDavid playing at a level rarely seen on the international stage.
For McDavid, a silver medal will sting. He carried the group in Crosby’s absence and proved he is the best individual player in the world, but the gold is still missing. For a roster built with one goal in mind, finishing second will feel like a missed opportunity. The torch may belong to McDavid now, but it comes with the weight of falling just short.
Team Canada outshot Team USA 42-28 and looked like they were tilting the ice. Unfortunately for the Canadians, they came up just short.
Now that the gold medal game is over, NHL players will return to their respective clubs and prepare for the season. The first order of business will be the roster freeze that lifts at midnight tonight. After that, teams will prepare and get back into action on Feb 25 and 26th. For McDavid and Oilers, they return to play on Feb. 25th against the Anaheim Ducks. It’ll be interesting to see if Edmonton decides to give McDavid an extra off as they gear up for a lengthy playoff run.
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