Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon Looked So Disgusted Getting a Plushie After Gold Medal Loss

To the victor, the spoils. To the loser, a very nice stuffed animal.

Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon was among those unimpressed by receiving a stuffed animal after losing the gold medal match against Team USA in the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. | Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Team USA pulled off the upset win over Canada in the men’s hockey final at the Milan Cortina Olympics, and perhaps none was more bitter about the loss than Canadian star Nathan MacKinnon.

MacKinnon will likely look back at this year’s Winter Games with a pang of regret, having missed a wide-open net in the third period of Sunday’s gold medal game against the Americans. It was one of Canada’s many missed opportunities that the team simply failed to convert, and Team USA ended up scoring the golden goal in overtime to take home their biggest win since their 1980 “Miracle on Ice” stunner.

MacKinnon may also look back at the Games with a particularly distasteful memory in mind: receiving one of the Olympic mascot stuffed animals just after losing the gold.

Look at MacKinnon’s priceless—and disgusted—reaction:

Nathan McKinnon reaction to receiving a stuffy for Gold Medal game loss pic.twitter.com/wGIXJ1XMpS

— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) February 22, 2026

So good.

Fans loved that moment, too:

nothing on earth is more in immediate danger than the stuffed animal they handed nathan mackinnon

— JFresh 🇨🇦 (@JFreshHockey) February 22, 2026

MacKinnon 5 mins after he got off the ice: https://t.co/AFUWiADamB pic.twitter.com/tkxlxjZBC4

— Gregory Balloch (@GregBalloch) February 22, 2026

Possibly the second greatest highlight from gold medal game. https://t.co/q3TQbFM66X

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 22, 2026

Take this Olympic Labubu pic.twitter.com/2BfMmFcZRj

— Made In Canada (@MadelnCanada) February 22, 2026

That was heartbreaking, but this stuffy should take the sting off the loss.#WTF pic.twitter.com/ELvixFdcxD

— Kelly Taylor (@TicTaylor) February 22, 2026

“Hey, tough loss. Here’s a stuffed animal.” “Thank you. This helps.” pic.twitter.com/WOAlnXpj58

— Andy Nesbitt (@anezbitt) February 22, 2026

Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon, Jon Cooper address heartbreaking gold medal loss to Team USA

Following Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss, MacKinnon seemed to suggest his side deserved to win.

“You be the judge of who was the better team today,” MacKinnon said, via Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press.

After a slow first period, Canada did admittedly look more dominant in the second and third periods and finished the game with a 42-28 shot advantage over the Americans. That being said, one could argue Team USA was actually able to capitalize off their chances, as seen by Jack Hughes’ historic golden goal to clinch the Americans’ first men’s hockey gold since 1980.

Canada coach Jon Cooper was similarly disappointed about the Olympic final result and blasted the tournament’s 3-on-3 overtime format in the wake of his team’s loss.

"You take four players off the ice, now hockey’s not hockey anymore. There’s a reason overtime and shootouts are in play — it’s all TV-driven to end games, so it’s not a long time. There’s a reason why it's not in the Stanley Cup final or playoffs,” Cooper said.

While Cooper refused to use the format as an excuse, and did acknowledge the fact that Canada beat Czechia in the quarterfinal thanks to Mitch Marner’s overtime goal, his comments didn’t give off the best impression after his team’s silver finish.

Though Canada won’t go home with gold, Canadian star Connor McDavid was named MVP for his record-breaking performance which saw him score 13 points across six games, good for the most points ever in a single men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament. Winning the MVP honor on the sport’s biggest stage certainly means something—and definitely means more than a stuffed animal. Better luck in the 2030 French Alps Games, MacKinnon.

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