Jordan Binnington will start for Canada in 4 Nations opener

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MONTREAL — Jordan Binnington has been chosen as the flag bearer for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

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As Team Canada prepared to hit the ice for its final skate in preparation for the tournament opener against Team Sweden on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre, coach Jon Cooper took the St. Louis Blues’ top goaltender aside to let Binnington know he’d be the first goalie out of the gate.

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So how did that conversation go?

“Well, he didn’t say, ‘Are you sure?’ ” Cooper said with a smile and a chuckle on Tuesday afternoon. “Naturally, he was really excited. He’s a confident kid and he wants to be in that spot. This isn’t sitting here saying this decision was made months ago.

“There is a lot that has gone into this decision. This kid has played in some big games, some big moments, and he’s a competitor. And it’s not that the other guys aren’t. These guys are ready to go if anything happens, but Jordan has been our guy. That kid is a competitor, he’s got fire in his belly, and we’re really confident in him.”

It was a toss-up between Binnington and Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill as to who would get the start for their country. Montreal Canadiens netminder Samuel Montembeault has always been viewed as the No. 3 on this roster. Hill will dress as the backup.

“If I’m called upon, I’ll be ready to go,” Hill said.

All the players on Team Canada are here because they put the team ahead of themselves.

Binnington was pleased Cooper passed the torch.

The 31-year-old Binnington helped lead the Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019 and has the most experience among the three netminders.

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He’s being handed a big job and has heard all the debate taking place around Canada’s goaltending at this tourney. It’s considered by many to be the weakest aspect of the club, but general manager Don Sweeney and his staff had to make this decision two months ago.

They are confident that the goalies they’ve chosen are ready for this moment. Hill helped lead the Knights to a Cup in 2023 and Sweeney was the GM of the Bruins when the Blues won the title in 2019 in Game 7.

“We knew that we were making a goalie decision, as we did the rest of our team, maybe earlier than we’d like to so we could see what players might have a hot hand,” Sweeney said.

“Two of these guys have won the Stanley Cup. I had a front-row seat to watch Jordan Binnington rise to that occasion. We have no problem with which goaltender we have going in the net and Sam has been an up-and-coming goaltender that Hockey Canada has followed for a long time.

“He’s gone to the world championships, and had success, he’s played on the biggest stages in one of the hottest markets. He’s been like a sponge so there’s growth and opportunity for Sam as well. We have confidence in all three of these guys.”

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Binnington’s numbers haven’t been great in St. Louis this season. He has a 15-19-4 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage. He has an opportunity to prove the doubters wrong in this tourney, which winds up next week at TD Garden in Boston.

“There’s not much to be said, right? It’s about letting your actions do the talking,” Binnington said. “I’m excited to be here, all three of us are excited to be here. Canada has got a lot of good goaltending, just like the rest of the world.”

He’s been doubted throughout his career and doesn’t feel this situation is any different.

“It’s the experience part of it,” Binnington said. “If you take from that what you want and what drives you in finding your motivation. I definitely don’t mind that (approach).”

The message Cooper gave Binnington was simple.

“He said, ‘Just do your job,’ ” Binnington said. “He told me we have a pretty strong team and you just need to do your job.”

That’s the truth.

Before anybody doubts what Binnington can do, it’s not like he’s playing behind a powerhouse in St. Louis that can brag icing the likes of Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Drew Doughty and Mark Stone, just to name a few.

There will be a lot of eyes on Binnington, but he’ll have lots of support around him against a Swedish team that knows it won’t be the favourite.

“Every player on every team deserves to be here and we’re fortunate that we have some really good ones,” said Swedish coach Sam Hallam. “Our players are used to playing against those guys. We have to trust our players, trust our goalies to make some good plays.”

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