Olympic Men’s Hockey wrap-up, and the latest news as the resumption of the regular-season schedule approaches in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
IIHF.COM: Canada’s Connor McDavid was named the most valuable player in the 2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey tournament. McDavid set a single tournament Olympic Men’s record with 13 points.
McDavid was also among the Tournament Directorate’s three best players, along with United States goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Team USA wins gold in the 2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey tournament.
Those three players were also named to the Media All-Star Team, joining Canadian defenseman Cale Makar and forward Macklin Celebrini, and Slovakia forward Juraj Slafkovsky.
TSN: Hellebuyck was praised by his teammates for his outstanding performance in their 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the gold-medal game.
Matthew Tkachuk considered Hellebuyck’s efforts to be “one of the best goaltending performances of all time.” US head coach Mike Sullivan called Hellebuyck’s efforts “heroic”.
According to Tage Thompson, Hellebuyck “stole the game for us.” Zach Werenski was amazed by the type of saves he made in crucial moments, while Charlie McAvoy compared him to Team USA hero Jim Craig in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebucyk’s performance in the gold-medal game was comparable to Dominik Hasek backstopping Czechia to victory over Canada and Russia in the 1998 Olympics. He played the game of his life, reminding everyone why he’s the only active three-time Vezina Trophy winner.
DAILY FACEOFF: Quinn Hughes broke the record for the longest points streak by an American in the tournament during the NHL participation era. He finished with eight points in six games.
THE ATHLETIC: Quinn’s brother, Jack, scored the winning goal after having three teeth knocked out from a high stick by Canadian forward Sam Bennett in the third period. Bennett received a double-minor penalty, but Hughes later nullified the Americans’ man advantage by high-sticking Canada’s Bo Horvat.
The Hughes brothers praised team captain Auston Matthews’ performance and leadership in this tournament. The Toronto Maple Leafs star had been dogged by the perception that he cannot win big games when it matters.
“Doesn’t matter what anyone says now, Auston Matthews is a winner,” Jack said, while Quinn added, “That’s what the Toronto media should be talking about. Auston led us to a championship.”
SI.COM: Team USA center Brock Nelson continued his family’s legacy of winning gold in Olympic Men’s hockey. His grandfather, Bill Christian, won gold at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games alongside his great-uncle, Roger Christian. His uncle, Dave Christian, captured gold in the 1980 Lake Placid Games.
DAILY FACEOFF: The American players recognized the late Johnny Gaudreau following their gold-medal win. Matthews, Zach Werenski, and Matthew Tkachuk paraded Gaudreau’s No. 13 USA jersey around the ice. Tkachuk and Dylan Larkin brought Gaudreau’s young children, Noa and Johnny Jr, on the ice to pose with the players for the team photo.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That was the most touching moment of this tournament. They never forgot Gaudreau, who would’ve played with them had he and his brother not been killed by an alleged drunk driver in 2024.
TRIBLIVE.COM: Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby sat out the gold medal game with a lower-body injury. He felt that he would’ve been a detriment to Canada’s chances had he played.
“It was about what’s best for our group and what gives us the best chance to win,” he said following the game. “That becomes pretty clear at that point. If I’m not going to go, I’m not (going to) compromise our team, put myself ahead of that.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby wanted to play, but his injury was apparently severe enough to hamper his performance. Knowing he couldn’t play to the best of his ability, he made the unselfish decision to put his team and his country first.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Canadian coach Jon Cooper was no fan of the 3-on-3 overtime format in the tournament. “You take four players off the ice, now hockey’s not hockey anymore. There’s a reason overtime and shootouts are in play, it’s all TV-driven to end games, so it’s not a long time. There’s a reason why (3-on-3) is not in the Stanley Cup Final or playoffs.”
Cooper made it clear that he wasn’t using the 3-on-3 format as an excuse. He acknowledged everyone knew the rules going into their tournament, and noted his club’s own 3-on-3 overtime win over Czechia in the quarterfinal.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Had Canada won in overtime, American head coach Mike Sullivan might’ve said the same thing. Cooper’s right that it’s TV-driven to finish games within a set period of time, but as he also noted, everyone knew what the format would be. Teams have to be prepared for it.
THE ATHLETIC: Arpon Basu believes Canada’s gold medal loss will linger, but the country’s hockey future is in good shape. He noted that McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar, and Celebrini will be back for the 2030 Olympics, and Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer could join them.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those players will also be part of Canada’s roster in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey. It wouldn’t be surprising if Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks, Wyatt Johnston of the Dallas Stars, Noah Dobson of the Montreal Canadiens, and Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers could be part of Canada’s roster for that tournament.
NHL HEADLINES
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL’s regular-season schedule resumes on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
ROTOWIRE: Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson is expected to miss Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils with a lingering upper-body injury.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Kasperi Kapanen will miss his club’s first two games of their upcoming road trip with an undisclosed minor injury. Center Adam Henrique will return to action after missing the Oilers’ last 15 games.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov and defenseman Tobias Bjornfot returned to practice over the weekend and are expected to be ready when the Panthers’ schedule resumes later this week.
SPORTSNET: Former NHL superstar Jaromir Jagr’s storied hockey career may be coming to a close. The 54-year-old forward last played in the NHL in 2017, but he’s continued his career with his hometown club in Kladno since then. However, he has only appeared in six games this season, with his last game on Dec. 21.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: All good things must come to an end, and that includes Jagr’s remarkable playing career. If this is his final season as a player, he is assured of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame following the mandatory three-year wait period.