The NHL returned to action on Wednesday following the league\u2019s break for the Winter Olympics. <\/p>\n
While the return was ceremonious for many players coming back from Team USA\u2019s first gold medal <\/a>in men\u2019s Olympic hockey since 1980, it was not as exciting for the players on Team Canada\u2019s silver medal squad, including Connor McDavid. <\/p>\n The Oilers star played exceptionally well in his first Olympic Games, winning MVP as he led Canada to the gold medal game, where they lost to the U.S. 2-1 in overtime. Despite another tremendous performance, McDavid fell short of a championship again; he and the Oilers have also lost each of the past two Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers. McDavid has now won both the Conn Smythe trophy and Winter Olympics MVP in losing efforts. <\/p>\n After the latest championship loss, a reporter asked McDavid, “This is a hard question. Stanley Cups found [Wayne] Gretzky, [Sidney] Crosby, and those guys and gold medals. You’ve put yourself in those positions, and it’s not finding you. Did you think it would be this hard?”<\/p>\n “That’s a nice question, thank you,\u201d McDavid replied. He added, \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing, no way around it. You could be sitting here having a totally different conversation if things had gone a little differently. It\u2019s hard, it\u2019s hard to win at any level.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a nice question thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n McDavid wasn\u2019t having any of that question \ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/00SBCa0ksV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n