President Trump announced he will award United States men’s hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Hellebuyck made an epic save in the second period during Team USA’s game against Canada on Sunday, swinging his stick behind him to stop a would-be goal in the 2-1 Olympic gold medal victory.
A photo of the stop on Canadian defenseman Devon Toews soon went viral.
“And I asked him, ‘The one shot, the one where you put your stick in the back and it hit the neck of your stick and bounce off. You practice that?” Trump mused Tuesday night. “Or was that a little lucky?”
He also pointed out how special the Medal of Freedom is for a recipient.
“I’ll soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor — it’s been given to many athletes over the years,” he said.
“When I say many, not too many — like 12. It’s the highest civilian honor in the country — the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Trump welcomed the team — which won the first U.S. men’s hockey gold in 46 years — to his State of the Union address.
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The crowd in the House chamber broke into a standing ovation when the players walked in, wearing their Olympic gold medals.
The State of the Union appearance came after Team USA visited Trump at the White House. Trump revealed he asked the players to vote on whether he should give Hellebuyck the medal, and the result was yes.
“The members of this great hockey squad will be very happy to hear 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,” Trump said.
“Great athletes have gotten that very great, the best. And I thought he deserved it. And I did take a vote,” Trump added.
Hellebuyck, dubbed by fans as the new “Secretary of Defense,” was a standout all tournament with a .956 save percentage in Milan. But he was particularly strong in the gold medal game when he made 41 saves on 42 shots. He made two other huge saves on breakaways against Canadian stars Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini.
The men’s hockey team won its first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”
While in the Oval Office on Tuesday, winger Matthew Tkachuk, who is on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, let Trump don his gold medal.
“I’m not giving it back,” Trump joked as he put on the medal, which was met with laughter from Tkachuk’s teammates.
