Connor McDavid won the Olympic tournament MVP award on Sunday, given to him after he scored 13 points and broke the single-player record by an NHLer in any one Olympic tournament. By almost all accounts, he earned that honor. 

However, there's an interesting debate -- some might even call it a controversy -- kicking up now that the tournament is over. Did the captain of the Edmonton Oilers and the last captain of Team Canada deserve it?

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According to some, another player should have been considered for the MVP distinction, if not given it: Connor Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg Jets' and Team USA netminder was outstanding, particularly in the gold medal game, where he allowed only one goal and stopped multiple Grade A chances against. 

Hellebuyck dominated for Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, posting a 5-0-0 record with a 1.18 GAA and .956 save percentage across five games. He was named Best Goaltender after a heroic gold-medal performance against Canada, making 41 saves on 42 shots in the 2-1 OT win.

One would think that breaking the Olympic record and being dominant throughout the tournament should have made McDavid a shoo-in for the award. However, some analysts and fans are arguing that the voting was tainted. 

Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote:

"It really shouldn't matter, but I'm still troubled that McDavid was given the MVP of a tournament his team didn't win. And he wasn't very good in the gold medal game, I might add. Hellebuyck, meanwhile, was brilliant and the clear MVP of the tournament."

Yohe went on to explain that voting was completed after the first period. He noted, "This is painfully stupid. Were the votes delivered to the Olympic Committee by the Pony Express or something?"

Having been on the voting committee for other awards, Yohe explained that he's voted on the Conn Smythe winner numerous times and that the vote is always required midway through the third period of any potentially clinching game. He added that even that is ridiculous. "It's 2026. We have cell phones. Wifi. Texting. Emailing. I don't see why votes can't be received and immediately tabulated when a game ends."

Frank Seravalli confirmed the same timing of when the votes had to be in.

Now, had Team Canada won the game, none of this would have mattered. Yohe would likely argue that McDavid was deserving. Instead, he's placing a lot of value on the final game that meant everything, prioritizing it over the rest of the tournament. 

That's where the debate comes in. The award is for the tournament MVP, not the game MVP. And, admittedly, this was McDavid's worst game of the tournament. Had it been an award for player of the game, Yohe would have a point. As for the best player throughout the Olympics? That's where things get fuzzy. 

Hellebuyck was also strong throughout the tournament. Many players were, including Macklin Celebrini on Team Canada. But, until that final game, McDavid was on another planet in terms of how good he was. Hellebuyck didn't even play every game, stepping aside in one of the qualifiers for Jeremy Swayman. 

Given that McDavid is going to be leaving the Olympics upset about settling for a silver, he'd gladly trade the individual honor for a gold medal. To him, the distinction hardly matters, given that the team didn't achieve what it set out to do. 

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