US President Donald Trump said in his 2026 State of the Union address on Tuesday (local time) that US men’s ice hockey goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 shots in the gold medal game, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
It comes just days after Hellebuyck paced Team USA to a historic gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, ending a nearly half-century wait for American hockey fans. It is the first American gold medal in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid, New York in 1980.
Standing outside a joint session of Congress with Hellebuyck and several of his teammates in the gallery, Trump praised Hellebuyck’s “unparalleled audacity.”
“I will soon present Connor with our highest civilian honor,” Trump said. “He’s a hero who showed the world what American excellence looks like. He was a total brick wall when the pressure was on.”
