![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/6b5ccaa3c527a1a4913c9b55910dec58.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nConnor McDavid left Milano Cortina with silver, not gold.<\/p>\n
Canada fell 2-1 in overtime to the United States in the 2026 Olympic final. McDavid still won Tournament MVP and Best Forward. He posted 13 points in six games, setting records for most points and assists in an Olympic event with NHL-players. Yet the loss reopened the debate about his place in history.<\/p>\n
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Especially considering he has also lost twice in the Stanley Cup finals with the Edmonton Oilers, in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n
On SportsCenter, Jay Onrait asked what repeated team losses mean for McDavid\u2019s legacy. Bryan Hayes said they matter, but they do not define him alone. Hayes believes McDavid still has time, likely two more Olympic runs, to win gold for Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Mcdavid] He still has time to try to chase down these victories,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cAnd I still believe he\u2019s going to get them\u2026 Canada will win gold either in four years or in eight years. So I believe he will check that box.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDavid is 29 and has played 11 NHL seasons. He has Hart Trophies, Art Ross titles, a Ted Lindsay Award, and even a Conn Smythe Trophy. This year in the Olympics, he won the MVP. However, despite those achievements, he is still missing a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe doesn\u2019t have gold. So he doesn\u2019t have to worry about that in the future, right?\u201d Hayes questioned.<\/p>\n
Hayes mentioned the urgency, stressing that prime years pass quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last three years have probably felt like an eternity to him, losing two Cup Finals and now a gold medal,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have 20 years in front of him. He\u2019s probably got 10. So it just shrinks. Every opportunity is fleeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hayes argued that winning late, as Ray Bourque did, still counts. But winning in your prime, as the clear best player, carries more weight in GOAT talks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinning in your prime when you\u2019re the man, that\u2019s the objective,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cThat\u2019s what Aaron Judge is trying to do with the Yankees. That\u2019s what Josh Allen is trying to do with the Bills. That\u2019s what McDavid has to do with the Oilers. He\u2019s got to get that Cup. And then he can breathe. He\u2019ll get that gold medal. Then he can breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Hayes also pointed to other stars. Tom Brady lost Super Bowls but won seven in his career. LeBron James lost the NBA Finals yet secured titles. Patrick Mahomes and Sidney Crosby also endured defeats before adding championships. The pattern is clear. All-time greats face pain, but they answer with rings.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got to get winning,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cBecause you\u2019ve got to be a winner. You have to have championships in order to chase that all-time GOAT status.\u201d<\/p>\n
How did Connor McDavid miss the gold opportunity in the Olympics?<\/p>\n
The gold medal game added another scar for McDavid after Canada\u2019s loss. Jack Hughes scored 1:41 into overtime for Team USA, while McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Makar were on the ice.<\/p>\n
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Jack Hughes #86 of Team United States scores the golden goal on Jordan Binnington #50 of Team Canada in overtime, while Connor McDavid fails to close the gap. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Connor Hellebuyck stood tall in the net and allowed just one scoring opportunity, making 41 saves. He even stopped McDavid on a crucial scoring attempt, who was wearing the captain\u2019s \u201cC\u201d in the semifinals and final after Crosby\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n
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Although McDavid and Canada\u2019s effort was clearly visible, it still ended with silver.<\/p>\n
Now, McDavid will resume his NHL season in search of the Stanley Cup. He leads the NHL with 96 points in 58 games this season, and is going to have his 9th 100-point season.<\/p>\n
However, to chase GOAT status, McDavid needs championships in his prime. The window is open, but it will not stay open forever.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead <\/a>\u2014<\/p>\n OLYMPICS: Final 2026 Winter Olympics medal count, standings<\/a><\/p>\n NFL: 4 blockbuster NFL trades we want to see before the 2026 draft<\/a><\/p>\n NFL DRAFT: 2026 NFL Scouting Combine day-to-day TV schedule, how to watch<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n MLB: MLB Power Rankings as 2026 Spring Training begins<\/a><\/p>\n NBA: Updated NBA Power Rankings as a new week begins<\/a><\/p>\n VIRAL: Watch Johnny Gaudreau\u2019s children join Team USA hockey gold medal celebration<\/a><\/p>\n The post Connor McDavid\u2019s GOAT status in question after Canada\u2019s Olympics loss<\/a> appeared first on The Big Lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Connor McDavid left Milano Cortina with silver, not gold. Canada fell 2-1 in overtime to the United States…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5125],"tags":[15512,9758,19,1171,155,198,146,5300,4571,5,1272,3265,1268,4617,3665,517,4,24,27725,768,2667],"class_list":["post-469627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edmonton-oilers","tag-aaron-judge","tag-bryan-hayes","tag-canada","tag-connor-hellebuyck","tag-connor-mcdavid","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-edmontonoilers","tag-gold-medal","tag-hockey","tag-jack-hughes","tag-johnny-gaudreau","tag-jordan-binnington","tag-lebron-james","tag-makar","tag-nathan-mackinnon","tag-nhl","tag-oilers","tag-olympic-gold","tag-sidney-crosby","tag-yankees"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116126103526626678","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}