The Edmonton Oilers returned from the Olympic break with a narrow 6-5 defeat against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. Despite the loss, they maintain their grip on the third spot in the Pacific Division, sitting four points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. Before the puck dropped, Oilers captain Connor McDavid faced the media for the first time since a tough Olympic loss, leading to a memorable exchange with Sportsnet's Mark Spector.
Spector posed a challenging question, drawing parallels to legends like Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, who have both hoisted the Stanley Cup and claimed Olympic gold. "It's a hard question, but Stanley Cups found [Wayne] Gretzky and [Sidney] Crosby and those guys' gold medals.
And you've put yourself in that position, and it's not finding you. Did you think it would be this hard?"
McDavid, with a touch of sarcasm, replied, “That's a nice question, thank you.”
McDavid went on to express his disappointment. "It's disappointing, no way around it.
We could be sitting here having a totally different conversation if things had gone a little bit differently. It's hard.
It's hard to win at any level, especially when we're talking about the best of the very, very best in the NHL and the Olympics."
McDavid has been instrumental in leading the Oilers to consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances, though they fell short against the Florida Panthers both times. It's a path familiar to both Gretzky and Crosby, who also stumbled in their first Stanley Cup Final before clinching victory the following year. However, McDavid and the Oilers couldn't capitalize on their second chance against the Panthers.
Mark Spector, what are you thinking with this question?
— Jesse Courville-Lynch (@JCourvilleLynch) February 25, 2026
I’ve called players out on here, I used to be incredibly negative and I’ll own that, but you’re actually AROUND the players, I’m not.
You’d think you’d want to give them some motivation, not just remind him of failures. pic.twitter.com/NVG48GCQzq
Crosby didn't stop at his first Stanley Cup; he famously scored the Golden Goal in the 2010 Olympics. McDavid, meanwhile, was on the ice this past Sunday when Jack Hughes clinched victory for the Americans. Despite putting up stellar numbers and earning accolades like the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2024 and Olympic MVP in 2026, McDavid's trophy cabinet from these major events remains sparse, with only the 4 Nations Face-Off title to his name.
The Oilers are set to face the Kings on Thursday, eager to solidify their standing and push forward in the season.