Connor Hellebuyck to be presented with Presidential Medal of Freedom
Connor Hellebuyck will be presented with the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for his performance with the gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, U.S. President Donald Trump announced at the State of the Union Tuesday night.
Donald Trump just announced that Connor Hellebuyck will be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Hellebuyck, along with several of his USA Hockey teammates, including Jack and Quinn Hughes, along with Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, was in attendance when Trump made the announcement.
The United States defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in the Olympic gold-medal game for men’s hockey on Sunday. Despite Canada outshooting the U.S. 42-28, the American netminder stood tall in the crease, stopping 41 shots and leading the U.S. to their first gold medal in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980.
The Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender finished the tournament with a 5-0-0 record, a .956 save percentage (SV%) and 1.18 goals against average (GAA) in five appearances.
Hellebuyck received lots of praise after the game, and was named the men’s hockey tournament’s Top Goaltender by the credential media.
The 32-year-old is 13-16-7 with a .900 SV% and 2.79 GAA through 36 games with the Jets in 2025-26. Now in his 11th NHL season, the Commerce, Mich., native is 335-201-51 with a .917 SV% and 2.57 GAA in 604 career regular-season games.
Hellebuyck had a regular season to remember in 2024-25, as he finished with a 47-12-3 record, a .925 SV% and 2.00 GAA in 63 appearances. He helped the Jets win their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history and was awarded the Hart Trophy, the first goalie to win the award since 2015. He also won the Vezina Trophy for the second straight season and for the third time of his career.