Connor Hellebuyck made a now-iconic save in the Olympic gold medal game. Now, he has revealed that he still has a special souvenir from the moment.
The entire Team USA became American heroes when Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner in the Olympic gold medal game. Not only did the goal secure their first men’s Olympic hockey gold in 46 years, but they also beat their biggest rival, Team Canada.
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Connor Hellebuyck medal of freedom
After the win, the team celebrated in style. They were congratulated by Donald Trump over the phone, visited nightclubs in Miami, and later went to the White House. During their visit, goaltender Hellebuyck became the first hockey player ever to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.
During the gold medal game, Hellebuyck made 41 saves and finished with a save percentage of .976. He also made several crucial stops throughout the game. The most memorable one came when Canada’s Devon Toews had what looked like an open net and only needed to tap the puck in — but Hellebuyck made an incredible stick save. In fact, the stick still has the puck mark from the save.
Shows off the winning stick
Appearing on the Wingmen podcast, hosted by Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk, Hellebuyck revealed that he kept the stick and even showed them the puck mark from the save.
“I have it here. Do you want me to get it? I have the stick here in my house,” Hellebuyck said on the podcast before fetching it and showing off the puck mark.
Talk about a souvenir.
You can watch the interview below.
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