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Fans of Team USA are criticizing President Donald Trump for overlooking gold-medal-winning women’s hockey goalie Aerin Frankel during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, and wondering why she was not tapped to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom like her U.S. men’s team counterpart, Connor Hellebuyck.
Frankel stopped all but one of 31 shots on goal in her team’s overtime win over Canada at the Winter Olympics. She allowed just one other shot on goal among a total of 99 sent toward her net (a .980 save percentage) during the team’s undefeated run at the Games.
Frankel and fellow goalie Gwyneth Philips helped bring home the third-ever gold for the U.S. women’s team since the Olympic sport’s introduction in 1998.
Hellebuyck, meanwhile, denied 41 of 42 shots that Canada powered his way in the Olympic final, including one phenomenal stop of a potential go-ahead goal by Canada’s Devon Toews that proved crucial in the men’s overtime win.
The win snapped a 46-year gold medal drought in hockey for the U.S. men, who accepted an invitation to visit the White House and attend Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday.
Hellebuyck allowed just six pucks past him of 137 shots sent toward his net (a .956 save percentage) during the U.S. men’s undefeated journey to gold in Milan.
I think it's fine that U.S. men's hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump for allowing only five goals during the Olympics.
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) February 25, 2026
But why wasn't U.S. women's hockey goalie Aerin Frankel, who allowed only two goals during the Olympics, not…
“I’ve never seen a goaltender play as well as Connor Hellebuyck -“
— 🥔🏒 (@liltaterhockey) February 25, 2026
Okay so her name is Aerin Frankel and he let in as many goals in the gold medal game as she let in the entire tournament and she has a hell of a side gig as a salad-based influencer.
Will the goalie for the US women’s hockey team also be getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom? #SOTU2026
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) February 25, 2026
However, some hockey fans defended Trump’s decision in light of the fact that the U.S. women’s team turned down the president’s grudging invitation to also attend the SOTU address.
“The women’s team turned down their invitation to the White House!” one X user noted. “They had all the opportunity in the world but chose a different path.”
The women’s team declined Trump’s invitation in the wake of a degrading joke he made about being obligated to invite them, though the team cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for the refusal. Trump has said the women’s team will be honored with a White House visit “soon.”