Top 5 players of Olympic men's hockey

With NHL players returning to the Olympics, the hockey world was buzzing with excitement. The world’s top stars could once again show off their talent on the biggest stage. Scores of NHLers produced highlights that made this one of the most exciting tournaments in the history of international hockey, but these five stood out from the pack.

#5: Jack Hughes

I would be remiss if I didn't include the golden goal scorer on this list. Aside from earning a place among American heroes and Olympic legends, Hughes also scored seven points in six games, contributing solidly throughout the tournament.

His four goals led Team USA. Hughes faced criticism for his reduced production and susceptibility to injury this season, but at the Olympics, he displayed the talent that led to his selection first overall in 2019.

#4: Juuse Saros

Saros has been one of the NHL’s top goalies for years with the Nashville Predators as the predecessor to fellow Finn Pekka Rinne, but this year he achieved something Rinne never had: an Olympic medal. Saros backstopped Finland during their bronze medal run, posting a 1.66 goals against average and a .940 save percentage.

Finland’s Olympic prospects looked dim with the absence of their best offensive threat, Aleksander Barkov, but Saros kept games close. He finished as the third-best statistical goalie in the tournament.

#3: Macklin Celebrini

At just 19 years old, Celebrini is already looking like an NHL star, but he’s never played in the playoffs. This led many to question how he would perform under the bright lights in Milan. He blew it out of the water, leading the tournament with five goals in six games. He added five assists to bring his point total to ten, good for second place in total scoring.

This performance against the world’s best solidified him as a generational talent and took the excitement among San Jose Sharks fans even higher.

#2: Connor McDavid

The best player in the world backed up his reputation, leading the tournament in scoring with 13 points. Only two of those were goals, but any coach will tell you that an assist is just as good as a goal. McDavid was voted Olympic MVP, surprising nobody. He also displayed great discipline, taking no penalties. Just his presence on the ice puts opponents on their toes, and he must be accounted for at all times.

Unfortunately, his Herculean two-point-per-game performance ended in heartbreak, as he lost in the gold medal game. Who knows how scary he’ll be in four years when he returns to the Olympics for another chance at glory.

#1: Connor Hellebuyck

Perhaps nobody was doubted more heading into the Olympics than Hellebuyck. The consensus on him as an NHL goalie was that he posts Vezina-worthy numbers every year in the regular season but falls apart in the playoffs. In the single-elimination knockout rounds at the Olympics, the pressure would be high enough to boil his blood. He more than silenced the doubters with a legendary performance. He posted an otherworldly statline of 1.18 GAA and .956 save percentage.

Those stats were largely helped by his one goal and 41 saves in the gold medal game against Canada, but he allowed only six goals on 137 shots in the entire tournament. It will go down as one of the best Olympic runs of all time by a goalie, and he will have a free drink at any bar in America.

Gabe Eisenberg is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email gfe5080@psu.edu