Insider Offers Theory on Why Connor McDavid Has Struggled to Get Over the Hump

No matter where you’re from or who you root for, it was tough to see Connor McDavid come as close as you possibly can, only to once again lose in heartbreaking fashion — this time in overtime of the Gold Medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday.

The world’s best player was exactly that all tournament long — literally impossible to contain — while putting up numbers we’ve never seen at an Olympics with NHL players. However, when all was said and done, McDavid was stymied in the do-or-die final, agonizingly forced to watch Matthew Tkachuk and the Americans celebrate.

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Whether it’s the Stanley Cup — twice — or now the Olympics, it’s hard to explain how McDavid keeps coming within inches of the finish line, only to have it ripped away at the last second. There’s likely no single explanation for it, though insider Jeff Marek did his best to pinpoint where things might be breaking down.

Marek said:

“Connor is, I don’t want to say selfish, because when you have that kind of skill you should be selfish. You should be, you’re helping your team by doing things that other players shouldn’t do, ie grab the puck 3-on-3 and try to end it yourself. But that’s what we saw a lot of Connor, trying his best to end this thing. You know, there’s the old saying if you have to win you can never win. To me Connor is more than obsessed about winning and I don’t want to say it gets in his way. But man you look at him after a game like yesterday against the United States, I don’t know, I feel bad for the guy.”

The 29-year-old McDavid took home yet another trophy in a losing effort, winning Olympic MVP thanks to his 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in just six games.

That being said, it’s obviously not the trophy he would have preferred to win, and the only game McDavid was held off the scoresheet was the most important of them all — despite how hard and how well he actually played.

At some point, a player of this type of talent — to some, the most gifted we’ve ever seen — is going to break through and have his moment. We saw that he’s capable of it at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

McDavid will continue to get cracks at Lord Stanley in Edmonton alongside Leon Draisaitl and a strong core that should remain in contention for at least the next few years.

However, the sting of taking home silver at his first Olympic Games — and now having to wait another four years, when he’ll be 33, just to get another chance — is going to take a long time to wear off, if it ever does.

It’s not his fault the NHL didn’t participate in the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less — both personally and for his legacy. You can be sure McDavid will be as motivated as ever come 2030, because it may represent his last, best opportunity to win a gold medal while leading the charge for Team Canada.

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