Though it’s controversial, winning championships is what many will point to when separating very good athletes from the greatest of all time. Tom Brady, widely regarded as the best NFL quarterback of all time, won seven Super Bowls in his career. Michael Jordan won six NBA championships, while in hockey, Wayne Gretzky was able to win four Stanley Cups.
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Others looking to put themselves in the category of the greatest of all time need to win in order to do so. Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs has three Super Bowls to his name, while Sidney Crosby has three Cups and two Olympic gold medals. LeBron James, who has, in the eyes of some, surpassed Jordan, has four NBA championships.
This all leads towards Connor McDavid, who is widely regarded as the best player in the world today. His brilliance was on display at Milano Cortina 2026, as he led all competition with 13 points during the Olympics. It wasn’t particularly close, either, as Macklin Celebrini finished second with 10. Suffice to say, the game’s best put on quite the show.
Unfortunately for McDavid and company, they were only able to muster up one goal in the gold medal game on Sunday, resulting in a 2-1 USA victory. It’s yet another loss for McDavid on a massive stage, which only continues what is becoming a tainted and confusing legacy.
McDavid Can’t Win the Big One
Though things may change thanks to winning gold on Sunday, a player like Auston Matthews was one who fans always think of when it comes to struggling in big moments. Time and time again, fans see him excel in the regular season, only to have his production fall off dramatically once the playoffs arrive.
That isn’t the case for McDavid. In fact, there is a reason to argue that he’s one of the game’s best playoff performers of all time. Take his playoff stats, for example. The 29-year-old has 44 goals and 150 points in just 96 career postseason outings. That 1.56 points per game average is third all time, trailing only Mario Lemieux (1.60) and Wayne Gretzky (1.84).
Those numbers show that McDavid doesn’t choke in big moments. Those playoff stats, along with his numbers during these Olympics, prove that he can excel in pressure situations. What’s concerning, however, is his performance when the pressure reaches an all-time high.
Much like the Olympics, McDavid was a man on a mission in each of the Oilers’ past two runs to the Stanley Cup Final. He recorded 42 points in 25 games during the first run, while posting 33 points in 22 games this past year. He earned the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort that first run, and arguably deserved it again this past year. That said, his performances in do-or-die games is starting to become a narrative.
The Oilers’ first trip to the Stanley Cup Final saw them go down 3-0 versus the Florida Panthers, only to storm back with three-straight victories to force a Game 7. McDavid had a huge part in that comeback effort, but was a non factor in his team’s Game 7 loss, failing to get on the scoresheet.
Though not much was made of his off game at the time, more chatter started in last year’s run, where, in a do-or-die Game 6, McDavid was held pointless once again and was forced to watch the Panthers celebrate their second-straight Stanley Cup championship. Suddenly, the game’s best player had laid an egg in each of the two biggest games of his life.
Now, fast forward to where we are today. In yet another one of the biggest games of McDavid’s career, he was held pointless against the US. That’s three of the biggest outings of his career where he was unable to record even a single point. It’s quite a crazy feat for a player who produces offence at a level few other players in league history have.
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Some will point towards the 4 Nations Face-Off, where McDavid secured a championship for Canada thanks to an overtime winner versus the US. That was undeniably a massive achievement, though most don’t see that tournament being as significant as a Stanley Cup Final or an Olympic event.
McDavid Deserves to Win
Even the biggest fans of McDavid will admit that he does need to be better in these massive moments. What they and many others will also say, however, is that he does deserve to win some of these huge games. After all, there have been plenty other players who have won while making far less contributions. Mostly everybody is hoping to see McDavid achieve some major team success going forward, but until he does, the narrative surrounding him is only going to grow louder and louder.