Team Canada forward and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has proven to the world he is the best player. Having scored nine points (two goals, seven assists) in only three games, leading the entire 2026 Olympics in points by three, McDavid is on fire. He also already holds the single tournament record for Canadian scoring since NHL players have been allowed.
The hype surrounding McDavid has been astronomically high since he was a kid. Granted exceptional status at just 15 years old to play in the Ontario Hockey League a full year before normal eligibility, McDavid was selected first overall by the Erie Otters.
He had the third best age 15 season in OHL history and the best since another exceptional status star in John Tavares, scoring 25 goals and 41 assists for 66 points in 63 games. By the 2015 NHL Draft cycle, McDavid had firmly planted himself as the top prospect and did not disappoint, scoring 120 points in only 47 games, causing multiple teams to tank for the opportunity to draft him first overall.
The Oilers ultimately won the McDavid sweepstakes and were able to select the generational talent with their fourth number one pick in six drafts.
McDavid has lived up to the generational tag with the Oilers
Since he first entered the NHL as a rookie, McDavid has been the highest scoring player with 1,178 points, an entire 151 points more than the next closest player, his teammate Leon Draisaitl. His trophy case is symbolic of his sheer dominance as well.
Having played 10 full seasons, McDavid has five Art Ross Trophies, a five-time First Team All-Star, four Ted Lindsay Awards, three Hart Memorial Trophies, one Maurice 'Rocket Richard' Trophies, and a Conn Smythe, as well as an All-Rookie. He even has gold medals at the World Junior U-18s, World Juniors, and World Championships, as well as a 4 Nations championship.
The only awards holding him back are an Olympic gold medal and a Stanley Cup ring and he will be a Triple Gold Club member. Both of these awards are achievable this season, especially with how things are going with both Team Canada and the Oilers.
We have been robbed of NHL players at the Olympics
The NHL is at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics and it marks the first time that NHL players are participating at the Winter Olympics since the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia. This 12 year gap has caused us as hockey fans to lose out on two best-on-best tournaments in both 2018 and 2022.
It is likely that McDavid would have been at both, same with a player like Steven Stamkos who will never have the chance to represent Canada at the Olympics. We also only saw the aforementioned Tavares at one Olympics tournament and we missed out on more opportunities to see other greats like Sidney Crosby at more Olympic games.
Now, seeing McDavid dominating to such a degree at 28 years old, leaves a lot of room to wonder how much better he might have been in Pyeongchang (2018) and Beijing (2022). Hopefully, all can be made right and McDavid and his young phenom linemate, Macklin Celebrini can bring home gold for Canada.