Sidney Crosby missed the gold medal game in the 2026 Winter Olympics, as Connor McDavid and Team Canada failed to defeat Team USA in the decisive showdown. While a silver medal is not exactly what they envisioned coming into the tournament, McDavid and company now boast a silver medal, something the greatest of all time, Wayne Gretzky doesn’t.
The NHL didn’t allow its players to compete in the Winter Olympics until the 1998 Games in Nagano. Thus, “The Great One” didn’t get a shot at an Olympic medal until then. In his lone appearance in the Winter Olympics, Gretzky and Canada finished the tournament in fourth place.
The 3-2 loss to Finland in the bronze medal game meant Gretzky and company returned to North America with no medals around their necks. Still, Gretzky led his country to Canada Cup conquests in 1984, 1987, and 1991.
Players who missed out on “Triple Gold Club”
As Team Canada squandered the overtime goal to Jack Hughes, who sent a bold message after winning gold for Team USA, the sound of hearts breaking took over the smaller Olympic hockey rink in Milan for the Maple Leaf fans.
While not one player realized—nor cared about it—at the time, four stars on Canada’s roster missed out on the chance to join Sidney Crosby and other legends in the IIHF’s “Triple Gold Club”. This exclusive list is made up of players who hoisted the Stanley Cup and won gold medals in both the IIHF World Championship and Olympics.
Crosby was the lone active player on Team Canada to join that club, but Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, and Mark Stone all would’ve joined him with a win over Team USA. With the loss, they missed out on a great chance to further bolster their legacy. Many Canada players still made the 2026 Winter Olympics All-Star team, but that may not matter much for a team that only cared about bringing home the gold medal.