But Binnington is here because of his repeated ability to raise his level in the biggest of moments, like a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Yes, we could question all day why he hasn’t been able to do it on a regular basis for the Blues this season, but there are a myriad of reasons, some Binnington’s fault and some the fault of the team’s play in front of him that contribute to the depressed numbers.
“In St. Louis we’re not where we want to be right now, but speaking of ‘Binner,’ he gives us a chance to win every night usually,” Parayko said.
The fact is from general manager Doug Armstrong, also the Blues GM, to coach Jon Cooper, Team Canada’s higher-ups predicted Binnington would be the man at the Olympics despite his struggles with the Blues this season.
Cooper said after Canada’s first game of the tournament, a 5-0 win against Czechia on Feb. 12, in which Binnington made 26 saves, that he could have said “358 days ago” that Binnington was going to be Canada’s No. 1 in Milan.
He wasn’t worried about what was happening in the NHL this season. He was thinking only about Binnington making 31 saves in a 3-2 overtime win against Team USA in the 4 Nations final at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 20, 2025.
“This isn’t a loyalty thing, but I have the utmost confidence in that kid,” Cooper said following the game against Czechia one week ago. “He’s proven it. When pushes come to shoves the kid has been there for us. It’s not going to guarantee that he’s going to do that continually moving forward, but he’s got a lot of pride, he’s got a lot of talent, and he’s done it on a lot of different stages. So, you know, you’ve got to give the kid a shot.”
