USA Goalie Receives Message From NHL During Canada Gold Medal Game

Hellebuyck's performance drew praise from reporters and broadcasters covering the game, with many of them calling him the Americans’ most important player and describing the effort as heroic in the highest-stakes game of the year.

As the regulation ended and the teams prepared for 3-on-3 overtime to decide the gold medal, the broader hockey world, led by the very own NHL, weighed in as well.

The NHL’s official account on X posted a straightforward reaction to the display unfolding on the Olympic stage: “Wow…just wow ”

The message captured the sentiment surrounding Hellebuyck’s play, with Canada controlling long stretches of play, outshooting the United States heavily after the first period and generating extended power-play time, but unable to break the goalie's lock.

The Americans remained alive through three periods mostly because their goaltender continued to answer every surge, and entered OT with the game tied at one goal each.

With overtime looming and a national hero waiting to be crowned on either side, Hellebuyck had already delivered one of the defining performances of the tournament — one that even the league itself felt compelled to acknowledge in real time.