Connor Mcdavid Named Olympic MVP as Hellebuyck, Quinn Hughes Take Top Awards After Milano Cortina Final
Connor Mcdavid was voted the most valuable player and best forward of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 after recording 13 points in six games, a performance that helped shape the tournament's final and now feeds directly into NHL playoff positioning and award races.
Connor Mcdavid named tournament MVP and best forward
Attending media selected Mcdavid as the tournament MVP and best forward after he put up 13 points — two goals and 11 assists — across six games. That total surpassed the previous mark of 11 points set at the 2006 Torino Games and shared by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu for most points at an Olympics with NHL participation.
Connor Mcdavid’s Olympic output and immediate NHL implications
Mcdavid, the Edmonton Oilers captain, served as Team Canada captain for the final two games in place of the injured Sidney Crosby and returns to NHL action when the Oilers visit the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. His NHL totals entering the Oilers’ return show 96 points — 34 goals and 62 assists — in 58 games, numbers that leave him leading the league and contending for a sixth Art Ross Trophy and a fourth Hart Trophy.
Connor Hellebuyck’s 41 saves secure U. S. gold and individual goaltender honors
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was named best goaltender after a 41-save performance in the Olympic final, which finished as a 2-1 overtime victory for the United States over Canada — the U. S. first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Hellebuyck’s 41 saves broke Ryan Miller’s record of 36 saves in a gold-medal game with NHL players set at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Hellebuyck’s game included a stopped breakaway attempt by Mcdavid in the second period and a desperation stick save on Devon Toews in the opening minutes of the third. He finished the tournament 5-0-0-0 with a 1. 18 goals-against average and a. 956 save percentage. Back in the NHL, Hellebuyck’s season line with the Jets is 13-16-7 with a 2. 79 GAA and a. 900 save percentage.
Hellebuyck called the result "a dream come true, " saying the group had fun, grinded and battled and that the experience still felt surreal.
Quinn Hughes ties defenseman scoring mark and delivers decisive moments
Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes was voted best defenseman after finishing the tournament with eight points — one goal and seven assists. That total tied Erik Karlsson’s 2014 Sochi mark and Brian Rafalski’s 2010 mark for the most points by a defenseman in a single Olympic tournament with NHL players. Hughes scored the overtime winner that gave the U. S. a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Sweden and will rejoin the Wild for a visit to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday while holding the first wild-card slot in the Western Conference.
Sidney Crosby’s decision, team depth and tournament aftermath
Sidney Crosby did not play in the gold-medal game after being unable to say he felt fit to suit up following the Czech game; he relayed that he did not feel he was able to play and praised the national team medical staff for their work. Coach Jon Cooper still had ample offensive options on the roster, including Macklin Celebrini, Connor Mcdavid and Nick Suzuki, but Canada could not fully control the championship game and ultimately fell when Jack Hughes scored the golden goal 1: 41 into overtime.
Crosby skated with his teammates to receive the Olympic silver medal and reflected that, while the thought of trying to play had crossed his mind, the decision was made in the interest of what was best for the group and what the medical circumstances allowed. He said simply that the loss was disappointment for the entire group and acknowledged that for numerous reasons it is not fun when you lose. The possibility that this was his final appearance in a Canada uniform was raised in the aftermath, and Crosby expressed hope for recovery so his NHL club’s season could continue.
Context from the tournament and NHL impacts
The Olympic tournament included moments that connected directly to league storylines: Jack Hughes’ overtime gold-medal goal also served as redemption for a 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship of the 4 Nations Face-Off at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 20, 2025. The Jets, carrying Hellebuyck back into the NHL, visit the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday and currently sit 11 points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the second Western Conference wild-card spot after winning the Presidents’ Trophy with 116 points the previous season.
One website-side notice unrelated to on-ice results indicated a reader’s browser was not supported and urged an upgrade to a newer browser for the best experience.
What makes this notable is how the Olympic performances — Mcdavid’s record-setting point total, Hellebuyck’s final-game heroics and Hughes’s defenseman scoring output — fold immediately into NHL narratives about playoff positioning and individual award races, tightening the link between international success and the remainder of the NHL season.
