It’s official. Connor McDavid and Team Canada won the silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. They fell 2-1 in overtime to Team USA. Their success at the Winter Games was largely due to the play of McDavid, who was by far the best striker of the entire tournament.
Jack Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime (1:41) in a 3-on-3 sudden death match. Matt Boldy opened the scoring for the US, while Cale Makar tied the score late in the second. Both goaltenders, Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington, were outstanding, but Hughes’ clutch wrister, assisted by Zach Werenski, sealed the victory: America’s first men’s Olympic gold in hockey since 1980, exactly 46 years after the “Miracle on Ice.”
McDavid & Canada wins silver
McDavid didn’t just live up to expectations. He flew past them. He leaves Italy with 14 points, officially setting the record for the most points of any player in a single Olympic tournament in the NHL era. After pulling Canada through a huge scare against Finland in the semi-finals. He gave it his all in the gold medal match, but came up short.
McDavid broke the record. He just didn’t get the ending Canada wanted. Despite a historic 14 points 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 with them. After comeback wins above the Czech Republic and Finland the climb in the final turned out to be too steep. American depth and goaltending were the difference, even as McDavid played at a level rarely seen on the international stage.
A silver medal will sting for McDavid. He carried the group inside Crosby’s absence and proved himself to be the best individual player in the world, but the gold is still missing. For a squad built with one goal in mind, second place will feel like a missed opportunity. The torch may be McDavid’s now, but it comes with the weight he falls just short of.
Team Canada defeated Team USA 42-28 and it looked like they were tilting the ice. Unfortunately for the Canadians, they fell just short.
With the gold medal game over, NHL players return to their respective clubs and prepare for the season. The first order of business is the schedule freeze, which will be lifted at midnight tonight. The teams will then prepare and return to action on February 25 and 26. For McDavid and Oilers, they return to continue playing Feb. 25 against the Anaheim Ducks. It will be interesting to see if Edmonton decides to give McDavid an additional cut as they prepare for a long playoff run.
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