Binnington to start in goal for Canada in 4 Nations Face-Off opener

MONTREAL -- After Jon Cooper had announced Jordan Binnington would start for Canada in their 4 Nations Face-Off opener on Wednesday, he was asked how the St. Louis Blues goalie reacted.

“Well, he didn’t say, ‘Are you sure?,’ " the Canada coach joked on Tuesday. “Naturally, he was really excited. He’s a confident kid and he wants to be in that spot.”

And in that spot he will be when Canada opens the 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden at Bell Centre on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

It’s the first international best-on-best tournament featuring NHL players since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. When Canada won that tournament, Binnington had played just one NHL game -- on Jan. 14, 2016. In fact, he wouldn’t play another NHL game until Dec. 16, 2018, the start of his unexpected run to the Stanley Cup title with the Blues.

Now, a little more than eight years since that international triumph, Binnington will be in the net for Canada in Montreal, playing behind a who’s-who of national icons like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

“It’s time to go,” he said during 4 Nations Media Day at Bell Centre. “Obviously, been in the back of my mind. Getting here and getting the nod is exciting.”

Cooper’s announcement answered one of the most burning questions in Canada since the full 4 Nations rosters were announced Dec. 4.

He wouldn’t reveal on Monday if Binnington, Adin Hill or Sam Montembeault would start, leaving an entire hockey nation hanging for one more day.

“This decision wasn’t made months ago. There was a lot that went into this decision,” Cooper said. “This kid has played in some huge moments, some big games, he’s a competitor -- not that the other guys aren’t; these other guys will be ready to go if anything happens.

“But Jordan’s been our guy. He’s got fire in his belly, he's a competitor and we are confident in him.”

Though Binnington has struggled at times this season for St. Louis, going 15-19-4 with a 2.89 goals-against average, .896 save percentage and three shutouts in 39 games (38 starts), his big-game experience is one of the reasons he will start Wednesday.

“This kid’s played in some huge moments, some huge games,” Cooper said.

Unquestionably, the biggest games he has played in were during the 2018-19 season, when the then-25-year-old helped lead the Blues to the Stanley Cup, defeating the Boston Bruins in Game 7 at TD Garden for their first championship.

In that playoff run, Binnington went 16-10 with a 2.46 GAA, .914 save percentage and one shutout in 26 starts. That, after coming up to the NHL in December of that season, helping St. Louis climb from last place in the League to Stanley Cup champs.

Canada general manager Don Sweeney, who is also the GM of the Bruins, was on the losing side of Binnington’s greatness that postseason.

“I had a front-row seat to Jordan Binnington rising to that occasion,” Sweeney said, “so I have no qualms about which goaltender is going into the net.”

Canada defenseman and Blues teammate Colton Parayko also had an up-close look at Binnington’s Cup-winning performance and has had it ever since.

“I know how good of a goaltender he is and what he brings, it’s definitely well-earned,” Parayko said. “And we’re obviously going to put our best foot forward to do what we can to make it as easy as possible for him tomorrow, and when it comes down to him, we know he’s there to back it up.

“He’s been a big-time goalie, big-time games. He shows up in big games and gets the job done.”

Hill, who won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, will back up Binnington on Wednesday.

Forward Brandon Hagel said Canada has all the confidence in Binnington.

“Unbelievable guy. Good goalie. Competitive goalie,” Hagel said. “That's what you want behind you. You want a guy that's going to go in there with a lot of confidence, a guy that's going to compete for you no matter what.

“That's the best example you can put out there for Binnington. He's going to give you 100 percent."