Team USA, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Team USA and Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck received another honor on Tuesday night when it was announced that he will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom after backstopping his team to a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

He will be the first hockey player to receive the honor. 

Connor Hellebuyck's list of honors continues to grow

Hellebuyck was one of 20 Team USA players to visit the White House and attend the State of the Union Address on Tuesday night following their 2-1 overtime win against Canada in the gold-medal game of the Olympics on Sunday. It is the first men's Olympic gold medal in hockey since the 1980 Miracle On Ice team.

There were five members of the team who did not attend, while the gold-medal-winning women's team declined a similar invitation. The women's team also received an invitation from Rapper Flavor Flav, a founding member of The Public Enemy, for "the real celebration" in Las Vegas. There is no official word on whether or not that invitation was accepted. 

While the United States sent what is arguably its best collection of talent ever to the Olympics, the main reason they won the game and the medal was the play of Hellebuyck.