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U.S. hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck will receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
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U.S. hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck will receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

#Presidential Medal of Freedom #Connor Hellebuyck #Olympic gold medal #State of the Union #Team USA hockey #Miracle on Ice #Donald Trump #Canada vs USA hockey

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Trump announced Hellebuyck will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union
  • Hellebuyck made 41 saves out of 42 shots in the Olympic gold medal game against Canada
  • The win came on the 46th anniversary of the famous 'Miracle on Ice' victory
  • Hellebuyck joins an elite group of athletes who have received the nation's highest civilian honor

📖 Full Retelling

President Donald Trump announced during his State of the Union address on February 24, 2026, that U.S. men's hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his outstanding performance in the Olympic gold medal match against Team Canada. Trump revealed he had asked the team to vote on whether Hellebuyck should receive the nation's highest civilian honor during their visit to the Oval Office earlier in the day, noting that 'my vote was more important' in the decision. Hellebuyck's heroic performance came during the Olympic gold medal game where he stopped 41 of Team Canada's 42 shots, making several crucial saves that kept Team USA in contention. With the score tied 1-1 in the third period, he made an extraordinary save by stretching his stick behind him to deflect a point-blank shot from Devon Toews. Trump specifically referenced this remarkable stop during his address, asking Hellebuyck if he practiced such moves or if it was luck, to which the goalie 'refused to answer.' The U.S. would eventually win 2-1 in sudden-death three-on-three overtime, with Hellebuyck again making a critical save to keep the game alive. The victory marked the 46th anniversary of the last time Team USA won gold in men's ice hockey, the famous 'Miracle on Ice' victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. While Team USA's women's hockey team also won gold by defeating Canada, they declined Trump's invitation to attend the State of the Union due to scheduling conflicts, though Trump indicated they would 'soon be coming to the White House.' Hellebuyck joins an exclusive list of athletes who have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, including legends like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, and Babe Ruth.

🏷️ Themes

Sports Achievement, Presidential Recognition, Olympic History

📚 Related People & Topics

Olympic medal

Olympic medal

Award given to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games

An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols.

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State of the Union

State of the Union

Annual report by the president of the United States

The State of the Union address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation. The speech generally includes reports...

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Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck

American ice hockey player (born 1993)

Connor Charles Hellebuyck ( HEL-ə-buk; born May 19, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). After playing one season in the North American Hockey League with the Odessa Jackalopes, Hellebuyck was selected by t...

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Presidential Medal of Freedom

Joint-highest civilian award of the US

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the joint-highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President for award of the Medal or any person selected by t...

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Olympic medal:

🌐 Winter Olympic Games 7 shared
🌐 United States national team 5 shared
👤 Elana Meyers Taylor 4 shared
👤 State of the Union 3 shared
👤 Jordan Stolz 3 shared
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Original Source
U.S. Trump says U.S. men's hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck will receive Presidential Medal of Freedom By Jordan Freiman Jordan Freiman News Editor Jordan Freiman is a news editor for CBSNews.com. He covers breaking news, trending stories, sports and crime. Jordan has previously worked at Spin and Death and Taxes. Read Full Bio Jordan Freiman February 24, 2026 / 11:05 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Fresh off an Olympic gold medal-winning performance , Team USA men's hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Trump announced during his State of the Union address . "The members of this hockey squad will be very happy to hear that, based on their vote, and my vote, and in this case my vote was more important, that I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor ... the Presidential Medal of Freedom," Mr. Trump said Tuesday night, saying he had asked the team to vote on whether Hellebuyck should receive the honor during the team's visit to the Oval Office earlier in the day . Mr. Trump made the announcement after inviting members of Team USA into the House chamber with their gold medals, which earned them an extended standing ovation and chants of "U-S-A!" from both sides of the aisle. "That's the first time I've ever seen them get up," Mr. Trump said, referring to Democratic members of Congress. "I've never seen a goalie play as well as Connor Hellebuyck," Mr. Trump said, earning the goalie another round of applause, during which he kissed his gold medal and pumped his fist. Hellebuyck stopped 41 of Team Canada's 42 shots during the game for gold. With the score tied 1-1 in the third period, he made a crucial save by stretching his stick out behind him and getting just enough of it in front of a point-blank shot from Devon Toews, deflecting the puck away from the goal. "I asked him, 'The one shot, the one where you put the stick in the back, and it hit the stick and bounced off, do you practice th...
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