Connor Hellebuyck to Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom After U.S. Olympic Gold
Connor Hellebuyck will receive the presidential medal of freedom, President Donald Trump announced during Tuesday night's State of the Union, a declaration made as members of the U. S. men's Olympic hockey team sat in the House chamber following their 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.
Presidential Medal Of Freedom announced with team in the House chamber
Trump made the announcement during Tuesday night's address with players present; Hellebuyck tapped his heart and waved as the chamber applauded. The president said, "Great athletes have gotten that, very great, the best, " and added he took a vote — "I did take a vote — every single one of them. I said, 'I'm not giving it if anybody goes "no, "' and every single one of them rapidly put up their hand. " Players entered the House chamber wearing blue "USA" sweaters, khakis and their gold medals, moving in through two sets of doors and walking down the rows of the press gallery while lawmakers on both sides of the aisle stood, cheered and chanted "USA!" several times, many pumping their fists.
Hellebuyck’s game and season that set the stage
Hellebuyck, the Winnipeg Jets goaltender, finished the gold-medal game with 41 saves and assisted on the overtime goal scored by Jack Hughes in the Americans' 2-1 victory over Canada. His signature play in the match came on a sprawling save in which he used his stick to stop Devon Toews. The gold adds to a season that included the Hart Memorial Trophy for 2024-25 — he was the eighth goalie to win that award and the first since Carey Price in 2014-15 — and his third Vezina Trophy.
Joy on Sunday, questions in the aftermath
For a few hours on Sunday afternoon, the country felt smaller: strangers high-fived in bars, grownups hugged with wet eyes, and politics and culture wars were, for the length of three heart-stopping periods and one overtime, suspended. Team USA defeated a seemingly indomitable Canadian squad to win the gold medal — the first time the U. S. men had done so since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice, " a span described elsewhere as 46 years since that team.
Locker-room celebrations, Miami party and the House appearance
In the immediate aftermath of the victory, the team took a congratulatory call from President Trump in which some players laughed at a misogynistic joke about the gold-winning women's hockey team that many Americans would not find funny. The squad celebrated in the locker room with FBI Director Kash Patel, who was described as beer-chugging and is now under scrutiny for using taxpayer money to fund a sports getaway. After a wild night of partying in Miami following their return from Italy, some members of the team announced plans to step into the House Chamber and make an appearance at the State of the Union.
Reactions to the optics and what comes next
Voices close to the moment said the proximity to the president carried weight and that the team's goodwill had diminished after the sequence of celebrations and public appearances. P. K. Subban was full of praise for Team USA men's hockey after the victory, but others cautioned the players to recognize how easily celebration can be repurposed into political capital. No one can take the gold medal away from Team USA, but commentators noted the team neither created the national divide nor showed a shrewd political instinct; by stepping early into public ritual, they narrowed their moment.
Hellebuyck is slated to receive the presidential medal of freedom following the State of the Union announcement; the award has been given to 671 individuals in the past, including athletes such as Simone Biles, Joe DiMaggio, Michael Jordan, Megan Rapinoe and Babe Ruth, and it is believed Hellebuyck will be the first hockey player to receive it.
