The elimination rounds of the Olympics have begun, and Team Canada has separated from the pack. A dominant round robin ended with a 10-2 win over France. Goaltending was a question for Canada entering the Olympics, with Jordan Binnington struggling in the NHL entering the tournament. But Hall of Famer Chris Pronger says Binnington has earned the net in a column for The Athletic.
“For me, Canada has come this far with Jordan Binnington,” Pronger wrote. “At this point, you’ve pretty much already said that we’re going to live and die by this guy. He was able to rise to the challenge last year, so why would he not be able to do that now? The guy is a Stanley Cup champion. He’s the 4 Nations-winning goaltender. That should be enough.”
Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper agreed to start the tournament. He said that he decided on Binnington as the starter after they beat the Americans in the championship of the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025. Logan Thompson took the net in the second game, but it was just to keep Binnington's legs fresh.
Jordan Binnington has the Olympics in his hands
Pronger continues, “I know what the data and the analytics say, but it’s not as if Canada’s other goaltenders have taken the net with a Vezina- or MVP-level season. If that were the case, maybe it would be different. Since it isn’t, you’ve got to stick with the Cup winner who won the 4 Nations for you. I mean, what are we even talking about here?”
The analytics say that Binnington has been dreadful for the Blues this year. Pronger's former team is stuck in the basement, in part thanks to poor goaltending. That is not something Canada is used to heading into the Olympics, with Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, and Carey Price having previously taken the net for them. But through two starts, Binnington is holding his own.
Canada has an elite forward unit and a great group of defensemen, even with Josh Morrissey nursing an injury. They are the favorites in the tournament despite Team USA having the goaltending advantage. Lines like Nathan MacKinnon-Connor McDavid-Macklin Celebrini will make that happen.
Canada automatically advanced to the quarterfinal as the top seed thanks to their 3-0 round robin record. They play Czechia on Wednesday after beating them 5-0 in the first game of the Olympics. Canada has won four consecutive best-on-best international tournaments, dating back to the 2010 Olympics. Binnington is the key to number five.
