February 21, 2025 by Eric Friesen

It just had to be Connor McDavid.

After waiting nearly a decade to represent his country in a best-on-best tournament, McDavid scored the game-winning goal in overtime as Team Canada captured the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off championship with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Team USA at TD Garden on Thursday. Canada has now won four consecutive NHL-sanctioned international tournaments and 10 of the last 14 best-on-best tournaments dating back to the 1976 Canada Cup.

McDavid fired a quick shot past the outstretched glove of Connor Hellebuyck just over eight minutes into the extra frame, when Mitch Marner found him all alone in the slot. In what was unquestionably his biggest goal on the international stage, McDavid helped Canada secure its most important win in men’s ice hockey since the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Prior to scoring the tournament-winning goal, McDavid was having a quiet night by his own high standards. But even though he didn’t dominate the way he usually does, McDavid still came through in the clutch for the Canadians on American soil, earning Player of the Game honours.

“Really exciting,” said McDavid following the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday. “We just found the way. I thought everyone played solid. I wasn’t great all night, but we just found a way tonight. Obviously, it means a lot to our group. I think a lot of people were wondering what this tournament would mean to guys, and obviously, you could see what it means to everyone on our side. It was really exciting.”

The Newmarket, Ontario native, who finished tied for second in the tournament in scoring with five points in four games, improved his career totals to nine goals and 31 points in 24 games for Team Canada at the senior level. His 1.29 points per game average is the fourth-highest in Canadian history in men’s competition, behind only Wayne Gretzky (1.49), Mario Lemieux (1.34) and Mike Bossy (1.33).

Related: McDavid excited to finally play for Canada in best-on-best hockey

From the moment McDavid first donned the red maple as a 16-year-old at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championship, it seemed inevitable that he would go on to produce iconic moments and lead Team Canada to championship glory. Unfortunately for McDavid, it took a lot longer than it should have for the best player in the world to compete in an international event of this magnitude, but it was well worth the wait.

After dropping a 3-1 decision to the United States in their round-robin game on Saturday, Canada came out on top when it mattered the most, defeating its fiercest rivals to remain atop the hockey world. McDavid believes that this win will be great for their confidence in future tournaments.

“Just excited for our group, honestly,” said McDavid. “Everybody was so dug in. It starts months and months ago with management going out and picking the team, the coaching staff coming together and then obviously, the players doing what we do. It’s been a big production and it’s just sweet to have it all come together. It’s a confidence-builder knowing that we can play and we can beat anybody.”

Undoubtedly the biggest stage in all of sport is the Olympics – something McDavid has yet to experience in his already legendary career. While the Canadian national team will enjoy their victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off for one night, McDavid has his sights firmly set on the 2026 Winter Olympics 12 months from now.

“We want to do it again next February,” said McDavid. “That’s what it comes down to. Obviously, this was great and exciting, but the focus is doing it in Italy next February.”