In what has to feel like a major gut punch for Connor McDavid, he and his Olympic teammates on Team Canada fell short in the gold medal game at Milano Cortina, losing  2-1 in overtime to the USA.

Forced to settle for silver after Jack Hughes buried the OT winner at 1:41, it's another heartbreaker for McDavid, who is all too familiar with the feeling of getting so close, only to miss out. For McDavid—wearing the "C" on Sunday after it was learned that Sid Crosby wasn't going to play thanks to a lower-body injury—the game meant even that much more.

As a result, the loss under his watch will sting a little more as well. 

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While he handled it like he'd been there before, you could feel the weight on McDavid all tournament. This was his first Olympics, his shot at something arguably bigger than the NHL, and while he wasn't able to help bring gold to Canada, he delivered in ways nobody expected.

McDavid finished with 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) —the most by any NHL player in a single Olympics ever. With multiple points in every single game, he created magic on a loaded top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini. He was flying, including in the final game.

Sidney Crosby spoke after the game and said the team did everything but score. Crosby admitted he was close to playing, but ultimately couldn't go out and help the team. He had to make a decision that he thought was best for the team. That was letting McDavid lead the team onto the ice. 

Perhaps there's a chance that Crosby plays in one more Olympics. He's that good. But make no mistake, even if he does, Team Canada is McDavid's team moving forward.

When Crosby went down after that hit from Gudas in the quarterfinal, McDavid stepped up without hesitation. He talked about just borrowing the letter in the hopes Crosby would be able to go in the last game of the tournament, but he was ready to lead. Lead he did.

He controlled the puck, generated chances, and carried the offense.  Even in the loss, Canada outshot the U.S. 42-28. Crosby said he thought it was the best game Team Canada played in the tournament. That's high praise when you consider that Team Canada rolled through the preliminary games. 

Team Canada got a scare against Team Finland in the semis. McDavid and company pulled it out. In the final, he and others had looks. It just didn't click. Still, the new captain was named the men's most valuable player in the tournament, the IIHF announced on Sunday. 

In his Players' Tribune article, McDavid said, "You have to learn from the bad times. You have to take something from it." The hope is that he returns to Edmonton with a point to prove.

For McDavid and Oilers fans back home, this will sting. In much the same way that two Stanley Cup Final losses can eat away at a team, everyone has watched him come so close, and now this silver becomes a reminder of what it feels like not to cross the finish line with the win.

The heartbreak is real, but it can also be a blessing. McDavid will reference this pain, hoping not to feel it twice in one season. The silver's bittersweet, but McDavid has another goal in mind the rest of the way. 

Now the focus shifts back to Rogers Place, where his Oilers teammates are on the ice working to get rolling again and come back from the break with improved play.

The Oilers pick up again on February 25 against Anaheim, and you know McDavid's going to channel this into the stretch run and playoffs. "I just want to be in Edmonton, playing hockey. I want to get back there again, whatever it takes," he said before the Olympics when he knew he was about to play in a best-on-best. He was excited to go to Italy, but he's still got eyes on the bigger prize.

This tournament will stick with McDavid. The drama, the skill, the near-miss. For McDavid and the Oilers family, it's another chapter of greatness without the ultimate win. But the chase continues. 

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