Who Is Connor Hellebuyck? Donald Trump Awards Presidential Medal Of Freedom To USA Hockey Star

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Connor Hellebuyck will be presented with the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Trump mentioned that Hellebuyck was being rewarded for his heroic performances for U.S. men’s hockey team at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. The USA team won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics for the first time in 46 years, beating Canada to the honour.

“I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor … the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Great athletes have gotten that — very great, the best, and I thought he deserved it,” Trump said during his State of the Union address.

Who is Connor Hellebuyck?

Connor Hellebuyck hails from Michigan and is a goaltender playing in the NHL and the for the US men's hockey team. Widely hailed as one of the greatest of his generation, the 32-year-old was central to USA's gold medal win in the Milan Winter Olympics 2026. He made 41 saves in the final against Canada, in an intense 2-1 overtime win.

Hellebuyck has played in the NHL for 11 seasons, winning the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL's best goaltender, three times. He is on track to be named in the Hall of Fame when he hangs his boots. Hellebuyck also won the NHL MVP last year. He is only the fourth goalie in the NHL's post-expansion era to win the Hart Trophy.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honour in the United States of America. He was conferred the same in the presence of several teammates including Jack and Quinn Hughes, along with Brady and Matthew Tkachuk. The USA men's hockey team received a standing ovation at the Capitol.