Olympic hockey takeaways: NHL players take tournament to different level

The 2026 Winter Olympics concluded on Sunday with the gold medal game in men's hockey. The United States won its first men's hockey gold medal in 46 years with a 2-1 overtime win against Canada. 

Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) scored the deciding goal, while Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) had a legacy-defining tournament to help get the win.

Here are some additional takeaways from the tournament as a whole. 

Return of NHL players a reminder of how good Olympic hockey can be

After no NHL player participation in the 2018 and 2022 winter Olympics, this tournament served as a great reminder of how much extra juice they bring. 

It was two weeks of what were essentially NHL All-Star teams going against one another in a stunning display of talent, energy and emotion. The NHL provides a strong product, and its postseason can be one of the most dramatic and chaotic of the four major North American sports leagues, but there is no comparison to what you get out of a true best-on-best tournament.

The Olympic hockey tournaments in 2018 and 2022 simply did not generate the same level of buzz or passion, and it was long overdue for the league to return. Especially with no true best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of hockey, outside of last year's brief 4 Nations Face-off. 

You just have to assume some risk

The only downside to NHL participation: The risk of injury, and you just have to be prepared to deal with that and what it means for your favorite NHL team.

The most significant injury to happen in the Olympics was to Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala with a season-ending leg injury.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is also dealing with an injury that was significant enough to keep him out of the semifinal and championship game, while Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen missed the bronze medal game for Finland. 

Another bittersweet award for Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

Connor McDavid was named the tournament's most valuable player after recording 13 points in the six games. He was outstanding. But it also came in a tournament where his team finished as the runner-up. This award now joins the Conn Smythe Trophy he won as a member of an Edmonton Oilers team that lost the Stanley Cup Final.

This is not a commentary on McDavid as a player or his "clutch" ability. 

Championships are team accomplishments. 

These just have to be extremely bittersweet for a truly great player whose only taste of team success came in the 4 Nations tournament a year ago. 

The talent level is getting close at the top

While the United States and Canada ended up meeting in the gold medal game, as many expected, it is pretty clear that there is real parity on the international stage.

The United States has officially caught up to Canada, not only in terms of star power but also depth.

Canada, as good as it is on paper, trailed in three games in the tournament and needed big rallies just to get through Czechia and Finland.

Finland, meanwhile, keeps churning out medals at a rate that not even the U.S. and Canada have matched over the past 25-plus years. 

Switzerland is knocking on the door of medal contention, while Slovakia exceeded all expectations with its fourth-place finish. 

The future is bright for young NHL stars

Two of the best players in the tournament were two of the NHL's brightest young stars: Canada's Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) and Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal Canadiens). The 19-year-old Celebrini is already an MVP contender and top-five scorer in the NHL, and he was one of Canada's best players here.

Slafkovsky, who also played in the 2022 Olympics before he joined the NHL, made the Olympic all-star team for the second time. 

Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), redemption for Team USA

Hughes faced intense criticism for the way he played at the 4 Nations tournament and silenced all of it this year with a stunning Olympic performance. He scored four goals, including three in the medal round, with the biggest being his golden goal.

Matthews, meanwhile, showed that he can be a big-time player in big moments with seven points of his own, while also playing a passionate and rock-solid two-way game defensively.