Jordan Binnington: Jon Cooper’s decision 358 days ago was the right one

Félix Forget
Jordan Binnington: Jon Cooper’s decision 358 days ago was the right one
Credit: Screenshot/Twitter

Today, Canada made its debut in the men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympics. And for the occasion, the team won 5-0 against the Czech Republic.

The Czechs fought hard, but Canada was simply too strong.

But beyond Canada's offensive firepower, it was Jordan Binnington's performance that caught the eye. The Blues goalie, who is having a terrible season in the NHL, wassolid in front of the net to shut out the Czechs.

We know that Binnington, despite his terrible season, was still seen as the favorite to be Canada's #1 goalie for one simple reason: his performance at the4 Nations Challenge. He was on fire against the United States, leading Canada to the gold medal.

And Jon Cooper, who had long kept everyone guessing (publicly) about the identity of his goalie, said after the game that his decision had actually been madea long time ago.

In fact, he had decided that Binnington would be his starter… 358 days ago.

Cooper was off by one day (it was actually 357 days ago), but he was referring to the day Binnington helped his country win the gold medal at the4 Nations Challenge. According to the coach, he knew at that moment that Binnington would be his go-to guy.

And that's regardless of everything that has happened since then.

We should still expect to see Logan Thompson get a start (probably tomorrow, to avoid Binnington getting two starts in two days), but what we understand is that the Canadiens net belongs to the Blues goalie until proven otherwise.

And when you look at how good he's been, you realize that Cooper made the right decision 357 days ago.

Remember that Canada, buoyed by its dominant victory over the Czech Republic, will now have twoeasier games to complete its group stage. It will face Switzerland (which should not be taken lightly) tomorrow, before taking on Alexandre Texier and France on Sunday.

If today's game against the Czechs (a strong hockey nation) is any indication, Texier and his teammates could have a very tough day at the office on Sunday, hehe.


Overtime

– Josh Morrissey: Canada has prospects that his injury is not serious.

– Note.

–Phew.

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