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.
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.”
What other athletes have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
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