U.S.
February 24, 2026 / 11:05 PM EST
/ CBS News
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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.
Connor Hellebuyck and the U.S. men’s Olympic ice hockey team at President Trump’s State of the Union address on February 24, 2026.
Kenny Holston-Pool / Getty Images / Kenny Holston/The New York Times
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 that or was that a little lucky?'” Mr. Trump said of the remarkable stop. “He refused to answer that question.”
Team USA would go on to win 2-1 in sudden-death three-on-three overtime, when Hellebuyck again made a crucial save to keep the game alive for the U.S. The win came on the 46-year anniversary of the last gold medal men’s ice hockey win for Team USA, when they took down the heavily favored Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
Mr. Trump said every member of the team “rapidly put up their hands” when he asked them to vote on whether Hellebuyck should be awarded the medal. “What a special job you did. What special champions you are. Thank you very much,” he added, addressing the rest of the team.
The U.S. women’s hockey team, which also won gold by defeating Canada, declined Mr. Trump’s invitation to attend the State of the Union, citing scheduling conflicts. However, Mr. Trump said during the State of the Union that they would also “soon be coming to the White House.”
The list includes dozens of superstars such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth. Here are the athletes and coaches who have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom:
Connor Hellebuyck, hockey
Simone Biles, gymnastics
Magic Johnson, basketball
Lionel Messi, soccer
Jim Thorpe (posthumously), multiple sports
Katie Ledecky, swimming
Megan Rapinoe, soccer
Babe Didrikson (posthumously), golf, track and field
Tiger Woods, golf
Jerry West, basketball
Dan Gable, wrestling
Jim Ryun, athletics/track and field
Alan Page, football
Roger Staubach, football
Babe Ruth (posthumously), baseball
Michael Jordan, basketball
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball
Willie Mays, baseball
Yogi Berra (posthumously), baseball
Charlie Sifford, golf
Ernie Banks, basketball
Stan Musial, baseball
Pat Summitt, basketball
Dean Smith, basketball
Bill Russell, basketball
Billie Jean King, tennis
Buck O’Neil (posthumously), baseball
Frank Robinson, baseball
Muhammad Ali, boxing
Jack Nicklaus, golf
Arnold Palmer, golf
Roberto Clemente (posthumously), baseball
John Wooden, basketball
Hank Aaron, baseball
Arthur Ashe (posthumously), tennis
Richard Petty, stock car racing
Ted Williams, baseball
Earl Blaik, football
Pierre Baruzy, boxing (awarded the medal for his role in the French Resistance during World War II)
Jackie Robinson (posthumously), baseball
Paul Bryant (posthumously), football
Joe DiMaggio, baseball
Jesse Owens, track and field
Robert J.H. Kiphuth, swimming
In:
Presidential Medal of Freedom
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