Team USA goalie Conner Hellebuyck, front row, acknowledges applause as President Trump announces his individual honor during the State of the Union Address in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill on Feb. 24, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
President Donald Trump announced that he would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Conner Hellebuyck, the goalie for the United States’ men’s Olympic hockey team.
The announcement was made during his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, just a few hours after Hellebuyck and nearly all of the gold-medal-winning hockey team visited the White House.
T.J. Muscaro is an award-winning reporter and NASA Correspondent for The Epoch Times, covering the Artemis program, Space Force, and other public and private ambitions within the growing space industry. Based in Tampa, Florida, he also covers stories of extreme weather and disaster relief, as well as various matters of national and international politics.
