February 18, 2026 by Eric Friesen

It didn’t take long for Connor McDavid to make up for lost time on the Olympic stage.

After being denied to the chance to add an Olympic gold medal to his already Hockey Hall of Fame-worthy résumé in 2018 and 2022, McDavid looks like a man possessed right now. Through three games at the 2026 Winter Olympics, McDavid leads the tournament in assists (6) and points (9). Nine points in nine periods of best-on-best international hockey!

It’s absolutely absurd what McDavid has done so far in his first Olympics, and at the same time, a real shame that Canadian hockey fans had to wait 11 years into his NHL career to watch the best player in the world compete at the the pinnacle of international sports.

Team Canada has won gold three times in the NHL era, including 2002, 2010 and 2014. Much like this year’s Canadian squad, each of those gold medal-winning teams was extremely deep. However, there hadn’t been a truly dominant scorer for Canada in an NHL-participated Olympic tournament prior to these Games.

Enter McDavid.

The Newmarket, Ontario native is currently on pace to have the most points by any player in a best-on-best tournament since Wayne Gretzky (21) and Mario Lemieux (18) in the 1987 Canada Cup. That legendary event saw the two greatest forwards in the history of the game in their lone time playing together on Team Canada, so matching that type of offence has been unheard of on the international stage over the past four decades.

But if there’s one player from this generation that could ascend into the Gretzky and Lemieux stratosphere, it’s McDavid.

McDavid is the favourite for Tournament MVP

At the conclusion of the preliminary round, McDavid is the obvious favourite to be named the most valuable player of the tournament. McDavid recorded a goal and two assists in a decisive 10-2 victory over France on Sunday, helping Canada secure the top seed with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record.

After picking up a helper on Tom Wilson’s goal in the first period, McDavid assisted on Cale Makar’s power-play marker in middle frame. With the assist, McDavid passed Jonathan Toews for the most points by a Canadian in a single Winter Olympics involving NHL players.

Related: Connor McDavid named an alternate captain for Team Canada

Additionally, McDavid now has the fifth-most career assists by a Canadian in men’s international play, with 29, trailing only Gretzky (56), Sidney Crosby (43), Paul Coffey (31) and Dany Heatley (30). He should easily move into third before the end of these Olympics.

McDavid then notched his third point of the game just 20 seconds into the third period, when he received a pass from Macklin Celebrini in full flight and tucked it in past Antoine Keller’s extended pad for his second tally of the Olympics. The 29-year-old superstar became the first player to record three consecutive three-point games in a Winter Olympics with NHL participation.

Thanks to another sensational three-point outing, McDavid is now on the verge of shattering multiple Olympic records. With his next point, McDavid will join Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Marian Hossa and Daniel Alfredsson as the only players to record 10 points in a single Winter Olympics with NHL participation.

The five-time Art Ross Trophy winner needs just three points to break Selanne and Koivu’s shared Olympic record for the most points in a single Winter Olympics involving NHL players (11) and two assists to surpass Koivu’s record for the most assists (11).

Every point and assist he gets for the rest of the tournament will either be a milestone or an Olympic record. Again, he’s only played three games so far.

As good as his teammates Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon have been up to this point, McDavid has clearly been the driving force behind Canada’s success. He’s factored in on nine of 20 Canadian goals in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Even on a team loaded with NHL stars, McDavid has still contributed to 45% of Canada’s overall offence. Unreal.

If McDavid continues to produce points at a torrid pace in the medal round and leads Canada to gold, he should be the unanimous choice as tournament MVP. McDavid would become the first Oiler to be named the most valuable player in a best-on-best international tournament since Gretzky in the 1987 Canada Cup.

Winning Olympic gold would be significant for McDavid’s legacy

12 months ago, McDavid scored the tournament-winning goal in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, which was arguably the most important goal in Canadian hockey since Crosby’s iconic “Golden Goal” 15 years earlier at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

While scoring that goal and winning that tournament are surely career-highlights for McDavid, it would pale in comparison to adding an Olympic gold medal to his always-growing trophy case.

“Representing Canada means everything to me,” McDavid wrote in his Dear Canada article for theplayerstribune.com on February 2. “With not being able to play at the Olympics until this season, it’s been this part of me that’s been missing. I really cannot wait for these Olympics. I’ll be bringing everything I’ve learned to Italy to represent my country. I’ve waited a long time to say that.”

Related: Connor McDavid’s desire to win is unrivaled

McDavid is driven to be successful and to win. It’s the only thing that’s ever mattered to him.

As McDavid discussed in his Players’ Tribune article, he’s started to think more about his legacy. Considered by many fans and pundits alike to be the most talented player to ever set foot on the ice, McDavid knows he needs to win Stanley Cups and Olympic gold medals to be universally acknowledged as one of the all-time legends like Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe.

“[Winning a gold medal] means everything to Connor right now,” said Team Canada General Manager Doug Armstrong during an interview with sportsnet.ca on Saturday. He’s laser-focused in what he wants. Connor’s in a great spot right now in his life: married and he’s got all the accolades you can need. Now, it’s just putting Stanley Cups and gold medals on his mantle is the next step.”