On some level, Team Canada star Nathan MacKinnon might have a good point.
The Canadian men's hockey team was probably better than Team USA in an epic gold medal game on Sunday. They outshot the USA 42-28. For most of the game, it felt like the Canadians were on an extended power play during 5-on-5 play. Their offensive pressure was relentless. But when push came to shove, despite all their chances, the Canadians couldn't capitalize on enough of them. They flat-out choked with empty net opportunities, including MacKinnon himself. And that, in turn, opened the door to Jack Hughes' eventual game-winning goal in overtime.
Still, it's kind of amusing to see MacKinnon's sore-loser comments after the USA men captured their first gold medal in almost half a century. Because guess what?
The better team doesn't always win in hockey, and having a competent goalie matters. Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head for Team USA with 41 saves. Canada's Jordan Binnington, despite seeing limited action on his end of the ice, did ... not. That was the difference.
MacKinnon knows this and sounded so bitter in public anyway:
A gutted Nathan MacKinnon: "You be the judge of who was the better team today."
— Joshua Clipperton (@JClipperton_CP) February 22, 2026
Oh, pal. I understand MacKinnon was emotional in the heat of the moment at the gutting defeat, but that's probably not something you say out loud after contributing to your team's choke job. Oh, well. Maybe next Winter Olympics, Canada will bring a goalie worthy of its otherwise All-Star team.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Nathan MacKinnon sounded like sore loser after Canada choked to USA