{"id":2573307,"date":"2026-02-25T01:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T06:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T01:02:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T06:02:15","slug":"trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Awards USA Hockey Goalie Presidential Medal Of Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573307&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to connor Hellebuyck, Team USA\u2019s hockey goalie who helped the U.S. win Olympic gold at the 2026 Winter Games. The players were invited into the House during Trump\u2019s State of the Union address, and Trump said the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >team voted unanimously<\/a> to honor Hellebuyck after visiting the White House. He framed the moment as part of a broader claim that the contry is \u201cwinning again\u201d under his presidency, highlighting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/six-extinction-rebellion-activists-arrested-after-climbing-onto-oil-tanker-in-london\/\" title=\"Six Extinction Rebellion Activists Arrested After Climbing Onto Oil Tanker in London\">gold-medal win<\/a> while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-says-bidens-letter-insisting-he-was-staying-in-race-didnt-sound-like-joe-to-me-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Pelosi says Biden\u2019s letter insisting he was staying in race \u2018didn\u2019t sound like Joe to me\u2019 - Washington Examiner\">acknowledging mixed reactions<\/a> from some Democrats in attendance. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oops-leader-of-anti-ice-church-invasion-just-made-prosecutors-job-a-lot-easier-22\/\" title=\"Oops: Leader of Anti-ICE Church Invasion Just Made Prosecutors&#039; Job a Lot Easier\">article notes social-media reactions<\/a> and clips of the White House tour by the team, including praise on Twitter. Trump also announced that the Team USA women\u2019s hockey team would visit the White House soon and teased presenting the Medal of Freedom at a future event, mentioning that the next Olympics will be hosted in the United States in 2028. The piece is by Breccan F. Thies, The Federalist\u2019s White House correspondent.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eTEfIWZG91o\">C-SPAN \/ YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Trump%20Awards%20Team%20USA%20Hockey%20Goalie%20Presidential%20Medal%20Of%20Freedom%20At%20State%20Of%20The%20Union&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Trump%20Awards%20Team%20USA%20Hockey%20Goalie%20Presidential%20Medal%20Of%20Freedom%20At%20State%20Of%20The%20Union&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20Awards%20Team%20USA%20Hockey%20Goalie%20Presidential%20Medal%20Of%20Freedom%20At%20State%20Of%20The%20Union&amp;body=Trump%20awarded%20the%20Presidential%20Medal%20of%20Freedom%20to%20Team%20USA%20hockey%20goalie%20Connor%20Hellebuyck%20after%20he%20led%20the%20team%20to%20Olympic%20gold.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/trump-awards-team-usa-hockey-goalie-presidential-medal-of-freedom-at-state-of-the-union\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Team USA hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck after he led the United States of America to victory over Canada to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>Hellebuyck and his teammates were invited into the House chamber during Trump&rsquo;s State of the Union address.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1247892888\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Trump said the decision to award Hellebuyck the medal came after the team visited him at the White House and took a unanimous vote to do so.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"VrDx6N7d\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The USA Men&rsquo;s Hockey Team tours the White House colonnade as Free Bird plays &#127482;&#127480; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tJxwh9sI2s\">pic.twitter.com\/tJxwh9sI2s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MargoMartin47\/status\/2026381439898415506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Trump showcased the men&rsquo;s Olympic gold medal win as just the latest example of the United States &ldquo;winning too much&rdquo; under his presidency, riffing in his classic style:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Our country is winning again. In fact, we&rsquo;re winning so much that we really don&rsquo;t know what to do about it. People are asking me, &ldquo;Please, please, please, Mr. President, we&rsquo;re winning too much. We can&rsquo;t take it anymore. We&rsquo;re not used to winning in our country until you came along. We&rsquo;re just always losing, but now we&rsquo;re winning too much!&rdquo; And I say, &ldquo;No, no, no, you&rsquo;re going to win again. You&rsquo;re going to win big. You&rsquo;re going to win bigger than ever.&rdquo; And to prove that point &hellip; here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud: The men&rsquo;s gold medal Olympic hockey team.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The team was met with a raucous standing ovation and chants of &ldquo;USA! USA! USA!&rdquo; for about two minutes. Even some Democrats stood up, which surprised Trump, who said it was the &ldquo;first time I&rsquo;ve ever seen them get up.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But some Democrats have such deep disdain for American patriotism that, &ldquo;actually not all of them did get up,&rdquo; Trump said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"71lCMwKZb73Hm6u5tWrRYEL0A1TleaCsJ9iIkhg5FZyNOhUzejGf0UPXYFIQcpxvpoTEiLxnmDNquR2JAQWj43d92srB8vSyXw\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is wild, many Democrats have such Trump derangement syndrome that they refused to stand and clap for the US <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-many-seated-dems-refuse-to-clap-as-trump-lauds-team-usa-hockey-champs\/\" title=\"Many Dems Refuse To Clap As Trump Lauds ... Hockey Champs\">gold medal hockey team<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0i0Gbhzwkm\">pic.twitter.com\/0i0Gbhzwkm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClayTravis\/status\/2026487471198859658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Trump also announced that the Team USA women&rsquo;s hockey team, which declined an invitation to the State of the Union, would soon be visiting the White House.<\/p>\n<p>With the team&rsquo;s vote to award Hellebuyck the Medal of Freedom, Trump said he told them that if &ldquo;anybody votes no, I&rsquo;m not doing it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They weren&rsquo;t about to say no, because they&rsquo;ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor Hellebuyck,&rdquo; he said. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Think of it, 46 shots on goal, and I asked him, &lsquo;The one shot, the one where you put your stick at the back, and it hit the neck of your stick and bounced off. You practice that? Or was that a little lucky?&rdquo; Trump joked. &ldquo;You refused to answer that question.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"d6qTbohlNWZJO5Hv3xwLUYDucIn74AKQ\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Connor Hellebuyck&#8217;s EPIC save from all angles??<\/p>\n<p>YES PLEASE. &#128558;&zwj;&#128168;&#128165;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OlympiansMadeHere?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OlympiansMadeHere<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NCAAHockey?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NCAAHockey<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/57gSmIhOHZ\">pic.twitter.com\/57gSmIhOHZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NCAAIceHockey\/status\/2025605951110238329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor,&rdquo; Trump said, adding that the next Olympics will be hosted by the United States in 2028.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Breccan F. Thies<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreccanFThies\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@BreccanFThies<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/breccan-thies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/connor-hellebuyck\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Connor Hellebuyck<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hockey\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hockey<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/olympics\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Olympics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/presidential-medal-of-freedom\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Presidential Medal of Freedom<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/sports-2\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">sports<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/state-of-the-union\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">State of the Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/team-usa\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Team USA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump honored Connor Hellebuyck, USA\u2019s hockey goaltender, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after he helped Team USA win Olympic gold by beating Canada at the 2026 Winter Games. Hellebuyck and his teammates were invited into the House chamber during Trump\u2019s State of the Union address, following a unanimous vote by the team after their White House visit.<\/p>\n<p>Trump framed the win as another example of the country \u201cwinning so much\u201d under his leadership, telling the audience that Americans are now \u201cwinning big\u201d and that the gold-medal team is proof. The moment drew a loud standing ovation and chants of \u201cUSA! USA! USA!\u201d\u2014even some Democrats stood, which Trump called a rarity, noting that a few Democrats didn\u2019t stand due to political opposition to patriotism.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also announced that the women\u2019s hockey team, which had declined the invitation to the State of the Union, would visit the White House soon. He said the team voted in favor of awarding the medal, joking that if anyone had voted no, he wouldn\u2019t proceed.<\/p>\n<p>He teased a memorable save by Hellebuyck, jokingly asking about the shot that deflected off his stick and whether it was luck or skill. Trump pledged to present the medal to Hellebuyck soon and noted that the next Olympics would be hosted by the United States in 2028<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2573308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-233943.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[10542,45451,3634,50742],"class_list":["post-2573307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-goalie","tag-presidential-medal-of-freedom","tag-trump","tag-usa-hockey"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-233943.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573307"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573311,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573307\/revisions\/2573311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2573308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}