President Donald Trump welcomed members of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team to his State of the Union address this week after their dramatic overtime victory over Canada secured America’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.

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Ahead of the State of the Union address, Trump met with players in the Oval Office and posted a celebratory video praising the team’s accomplishment. In the clip, the president singled out Hellebuyck, leaning into a nickname that had already begun trending online.

“These are the U.S. players who won the gold medal — and I got myself one great Secretary of Defense, the goalie!” Trump said. “Pete Hegseth is not happy to hear this!”

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The remark was a playful reference to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has himself embraced the moniker circulating on social media in the aftermath of Hellebuyck’s dominant showing against Canada.

The nickname gained traction immediately after the gold medal game, when clips of Hellebuyck’s sprawling third-period stick save on Canada’s Devon Toews went viral. The save prevented a go-ahead goal and shifted momentum back to the Americans. Social media users quickly dubbed him “America’s Secretary of Defense,” a title that teammates fully embraced.On the team’s Air Force flight to Washington, captain Dylan Larkin posted a photo showing Hellebuyck holding a light-blue plaque adorned with a bald eagle and the words “Secretary of Defense” emblazoned across the top. Hellebuyck, smiling broadly, held the plaque in one hand and his Olympic gold medal in the other.

Hegseth responded publicly to the trend, writing online, “Now we have a Secretary of War… and a Secretary of Defense!” — a nod to the recent renaming of the agency he leads.

“It’s a dream come true,” Hellebuyck said following the game. “We grinded, we battled, and this was some of the best and most fun hockey that I’ve ever played.”