MILAN – Jordan Binnington arrived in Italy as a major question mark in Canada’s crease.
Whether the St. Louis Blues netminder — amid a miserable NHL season — was the right man for the Olympic job was already a national debate before the hockey powerhouse teetered on the brink of a catastrophic early exit.
Those doubts never crept into the dressing room. And on Wednesday night, he justified that belief.
Before Mitch Marner played overtime hero in a nerve-racking 4-3 quarterfinal win over Czechia at the Milan Cortina Games, Binnington stepped up for his country — again — with crucial saves to keep Canada breathing.
“That’s Binner for you,” said defenceman Drew Doughty. “Big saves, big times.”
Moments after Nick Suzuki equalized with a country-rocking deflection late in the third period, Binnington stood his ground as speedy Czech forward Martin Necas barrelled down on a breakaway with just over one minute remaining in regulation. Canadian fans — at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and back home — breathed a sigh of relief.
In overtime, he jumped out of his crease to cut the angle and thwart a slot-shot from Radim Simek after a defensive breakdown. Twenty seconds and a line change later, Marner danced through a cluster of Czech players and shovelled a backhand over Lukas Dostal’s shoulder.
“So many moments in that game that were huge for our team,” Marner said. “Nick’s game-tying goal, Binnington’s save on Necas there late … some big plays in that game, and lucky enough, I was able to just make one that finished it.”
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Binnington said the quarterfinal scare after Canada cruised through the preliminary round could only help them moving forward.
“Hard-fought game,” he said. “They were ready and gave us a very tough game. It’s good for us to experience this at this point in the tournament.”
Binnington proved his might in big moments when he backstopped the Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019.
The 32-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., did it again at last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off, denying American captain Auston Matthews with a desperation glove save before Connor McDavid sealed Canada’s victory in the Olympic appetizer. He also opened the Olympic tournament with a shutout in Canada’s 5-0 round-robin win over Czechia.
His play in the NHL this season, however, has made headlines for all the wrong reasons on a Blues team dwelling near the league’s basement.
Binnington has an 8-17-6 record with a 3.65 goals-against average and a .864 save percentage, ranking 67th out of 70 among goalies with at least 10 games played.
Logan Thompson, who stopped 24 of 25 in Canada’s 5-1 preliminary-round win over Switzerland, boasts a .912 save percentage. Third-stringer Darcy Kuemper, meanwhile, sits at .900.
But head coach Jon Cooper made his decision a year ago that Binnington — and his big-game chops — would have the opportunity to start between the pipes come puck drop in Italy.
“When the game got tight, and especially when they took the lead, he shut the door,” Cooper said. “He gave us a chance to come back. And so that’s what winners do. They give you that chance.”
His teammates also didn’t do him any favours on Wednesday.
Mark Stone’s ill-advised turnover led to Czechia’s opening goal from Lukas Sedlak. David Pastrnak then gave Czechia a 2-1 lead with a power-play rocket after Macklin Celebrini’s unnecessary interference penalty.
Ondrej Palat’s goal to put the underdogs up 3-2 in the third period, meanwhile, put the finishing touch on a well-executed 3-on-2. Czechia also had six players on the ice at the time, going unnoticed by the officials.
“Binner gave us a chance to win the game,” Cooper said. “I haven’t digested all the goals, but I will sit here and say they were more on guys in front of him than on him. This wasn’t ones that leaked through him; that was on us.”
Binnington struggled with rebound control at times. But he was there when it counted.
“That’s when we needed (the saves),” Celebrini said. “We needed him to make those saves and be there for us when we needed them. He did an outstanding job being the brick wall.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press