Mark Madden: Connor McDavid didn't choke, exactly, but he's still not a winner

What will be remembered most? That Connor McDavid had eight points in Games 4 and 5 to rally Edmonton back from a three-games-to-none deficit in the Stanley Cup Final or that he had zero points and didn’t look the part in Games 6 and 7?

McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in a losing cause. But it was a losing cause. McDavid has won zero championships in his nine NHL seasons.

Sidney Crosby, Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr won Stanley Cups in their fourth seasons, Wayne Gretzky in his fifth, Mario Lemieux in his seventh. McDavid isn’t quite yet in that conversation.

It was an odd conclusion to McDavid’s season.

McDavid didn’t choke, per se. But he had just three assists in Florida’s four wins.

Spurring Edmonton to the verge of a reverse sweep is utterly forgotten. Magic while it was happening, now just a footnote.

McDavid winning the Conn Smythe Trophy is strangely damning: Once again, McDavid took the individual award but his team fell short. It’s his method. McDavid has five scoring titles, three MVPs, one playoff MVP and no Cups.

Fake vindication is headed McDavid’s way in 2026 when he plays in his first Olympics for Canada. Canada will take gold, and McDavid will be declared a winner.

Unless Canada loses. McDavid would get the lion’s share of the blame. He’s in a tricky spot.

McDavid did Canada no favors Monday. No NHL team from Canada has won a Cup since 1993. That streak continues.

That shouldn’t matter as much as it does. About 42% of the NHL’s players are from Canada. Thirteen players on Florida’s roster are Canadian. Ten on Edmonton’s are not. This is about mere location, nothing else.

But it’s fun to see Canada get mad.

The final was great drama. A shot in the arm for the NHL.

But McDavid needs to win soon. He’s 27.

To climb into the very elite of the NHL’s all-time hierarchy, McDavid needs to win with Edmonton. The Oilers are his team.

Ray Bourque’s championship with Colorado in 2001 didn’t mean much after 21 years in Boston. Ring-chasing diminishes.

How much did winning the Cup mean to Florida?

The Panthers made their NHL debut in 1993. This was their first championship.

But Ft. Lauderdale/Miami/Sunrise isn’t a dedicated hockey area, as witnessed by the large number of Edmonton fans attending Monday’s game at Florida. It seemed like 15% of the crowd or more. Their noise could be heard.

It was the biggest game in the franchise’s 30-year history, yet lots of “fans” scalped their tickets to visiting supporters. That doesn’t happen in a real hockey town.

It was an entertaining final, though Edmonton was never in a danger of winning Game 7.

I shut off the TV after McDavid got the Conn Smythe Trophy and Matthew’s Tkachuk’s great, heartfelt interview. I don’t want to see the Cup passed around unless it’s the Penguins. (But I’m happy for Florida’s Evan Rodrigues, formerly of this parish. He had a boss final: four goals and three assists to lead the Panthers with seven points.)

The Penguins’ offseason kicks into gear Friday and Saturday with the entry draft at Las Vegas. The Penguins don’t have a first-round pick, but trades likely will get made.

Free agency starts Monday. Sidney Crosby can sign his contract extension that day.

Penguins president of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas will be busy and do his best.

But the Penguins can’t be made or broken, not really. They will mostly be as good as their longtime core three plus Erik Karlsson. Mike Sullivan will coach them the same way. It won’t be a summer or a season of big change.