Two days after making the save that helped the Team USA men’s hockey team win their first gold medal at the Olympics in 46 years, goalie Connor Hellebuyck was named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor a civilian can receive from the United States government. Quite a few professional athletes have been given the award, including Tiger Woods, Alan Page and Roger Staubach, and posthumously Babe Ruth, all by Trump. Past presidents honored athletes like Billie Jean King, Michael Jordan and Simone Biles, to name a few.
Now Hellebuyck will be added to that list. He was given a standing ovation when the news was announced.
President Trump said he will be awarding U.S. men’s hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his State of the Union address.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 25, 2026
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The majority of the Team USA men’s team attended the State of the Union after being personally invited by Trump, in a now infamous phone call made to the team in which Trump undermined the women’s hockey team’s gold medal win from a few days prior. The players visited Trump at the White House earlier in the day on Tuesday before attending the State of the Union. The players were greeted with “USA” chants on Tuesday night.
The women’s team then declined Trump’s invite to the White House, and will instead celebrate their gold medal win with Flavor Flav in the future.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Connor Hellebuyck Will Be Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump.
