McDavid, Hellebuyck, Quinn Hughes lead Olympic all-star team

Connor McDavid, Connor Hellebuyck and Quinn Hughes will take home medals and individual awards from the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

McDavid was voted most valuable player and best forward of the tournament by attending media. The Edmonton Oilers captain, who for the final two games was Team Canada captain in place of an injured Sidney Crosby, had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in six games to break a record shared by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu (11 each) at the 2006 Torino Games for most at an Olympics with NHL participation.

The Oilers return from the Olympic break when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. McDavid's 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists) in 58 games lead the NHL, and have him contending for his sixth Art Ross Trophy and fourth Hart Trophy given to the League MVP.

Hellebuyck's 41 saves capped a performance that earned him best goaltender to give Team USA its first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 Lake Placid Games with a 2-1 overtime win against Canada. The Winnipeg Jets goalie broke Ryan Miller's record for saves (36 at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics) in a gold medal game with NHL players. He stopped McDavid on a breakaway in the second period, made a desperation stick save against Devon Toews in the opening minutes of the third and finished 5-0-0-0 with a 1.18 goals-against average and .956 save percentage.

"Hellebuyck was insane," Quinn Hughes, voted best defenseman, said in remarks published by the IIHF website. "You saw the looks they had. Canada's an insane team out there. The game's never been faster. It's never been more skilled. And they've got some special players, Hall of Famers, all over their team."

The Jets visit the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday trailing the Ducks by 11 points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, one season after winning the Presidents' Trophy with an NHL-high 116 points. Hellebuyck, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner (top goalie), is 13-16-7 with a 2.79 GAA and .900 save percentage.

"It's a dream come true," Hellebuyck told NBC Sports. "I love this group. We had so much fun over here, we grinded, we battled. This is some of the best and most fun hockey ever played. It still hasn't truthfully sunk in. Who knows how long it's going to last? It's surreal."

Hughes of the Minnesota Wild scored in overtime to give the U.S. a 2-1 win against Team Sweden in the quarterfinals. His eight points (one goal, seven assists) tied Sweden's Erik Karlsson (2014 Sochi Olympics) and Brian Rafalski of the U.S. (2010) for the most by a defenseman in a single tournament. Hughes and the Wild return to the NHL with a visit to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday holding the first wild card in the West.

Quinn's brother, New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, scored the golden goal 1:41 into overtime, giving the U.S. redemption for a 3-2 OT loss to Canada in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 20, 2025. He and Crosby (2010) are the two players to score in OT of an Olympic goal-medal game with NHL players.

"The USA Hockey brotherhood is so strong," Jack Hughes said. "We have so much support from our players. I'm so proud of the Americans today. USA Hockey, brotherhood, means so much."

The U.S. won Olympic gold for the third time, including the 1960 Squaw Valley Games, and defeated Canada in Milan on the 46th anniversary of when the "Miracle on Ice" team won 4-3 against the Soviet Union, two days before defeating Finland 4-2 for gold.

"This just means so much to all of us and USA Hockey," forward Jack Eichel said, per the IIHF. "There's just so much pride in wearing this jersey and being able to do something special and create our own story here. It's been a long time since USA Hockey was on top of the hockey world, so we're really proud of this moment, and I just can't say enough about the group."

The Olympic All-Star team was rounded out by Canada defenseman Cale Makar, Canada forward Macklin Celebrini and Team Slovakia forward Juraj Slafkovsky.

Makar's six points (two goals, four assists) tied 2026 teammate Drew Doughty (2014), Shea Weber (2010 and 2014), Dan Boyle (2010) and Duncan Keith (2010) for most by a Canada defenseman during a single tournament with NHL players. His goal that tied it 1-1 on Sunday made him the sixth at his position to score in a gold medal game with NHL participation (Kimmo Timonen, Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Rafalski and Petr Svoboda). His 15 goals are tied for fifth in the NHL among defensemen with the Avalanche, who resume their schedule at the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday.

WATCH: Men's Hockey Highlights from the Olympic Winter Games

Celebrini, a 19-year-old forward with the San Jose Sharks, had 10 points (five goals, five assists), second in the Olympics behind McDavid. His 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists) are fourth in the League and have the Sharks contending for their first playoff berth since 2019. San Jose continues its regular season at home against the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

Slafkovsky's eight points (four goals, four assists) for fourth-place Team Slovakia were the third most by a Montreal Canadiens skater in an Olympic tournament with NHL players behind Saku Koivu (11 in 2006 and 10 at Nagano in 1998). He has 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 57 games with the Canadiens second in the Atlantic Division ahead of their home game against the New York Islanders on Thursday.

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 All-Star Team

Most Valuable Player
Connor McDavid, Team Canada

Tournament Directorate Three Best Players
Best Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck, Team USA
Best Defenseman: Quinn Hughes, Team USA
Best Forward: Connor McDavid, Team Canada

Media All-Star Team
Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck, Team USA
Defenseman: Quinn Hughes, Team USA
Defenseman: Cale Makar, Team Canada
Forward: Connor McDavid, Team Canada
Forward: Macklin Celebrini, Team Canada
Forward: Juraj Slafkovsky, Team Slovakia

NHL.com staff writer Bill Douglas contributed to this report