Jon Cooper said Jordan Binnington delivered for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Whether the goalie delivers again at the Olympics is impossible to say, if he even gets the chance.
MILAN, Italy - Team Canada coach Jon Cooper walked into the mixed media zone following practice on Wednesday and delivered a bombshell.
"Should I get this out of the way now?" Cooper said when asked who would be in net for Thursday's opening Olympic game against Czechia. "I'm not announcing that here to you guys. Love you all, but that's not happening."
When told about an earlier report saying Canada, which plays on back-to-back days, would probably start two different goalies in their first two games against Czechia and Switzerland, Cooper went on the defensive.
"I didn't tell (the reporter) that," said Cooper. "(The reporter) said, 'Was it common practice in the NHL (to have different goalies start on back-to-back days)?'
"But I didn't commit to it, though. It wasn't a full committal."
Cooper then paused. And let out a smile.
"In all seriousness, there's a really good chance that that will happen," he said.
The fact that the goaltending issue has become a top-secret decision that is already being second-guessed by reporters and fans back home tells you everything you need to know about what is believed to be Canada's weak spot at these Games.
This isn't the 2010 Olympics, when Roberto Luongo was the obvious No. 1 goalie. Nor is it 2014, when Carey Price started in five of six games.
This time around, Canada doesn't have a clear-cut No. 1 goalie.
Instead, they have three question marks.
The biggest one is Jordan Binnington.
Ever since the roster was announced in December, pretty much every hockey fan has been questioning whether Binnington should be on the team — much less should he be the starter.
Cooper, however, apparently does not share those same doubts.
The stats might suggest the St. Louis Blues goalie, who has a 3.65 goals-against average and an .864 save percentage, is having one of the worst statistical seasons in the NHL this year. But a year ago, Binnington wasn't playing that much better. And yet, it was Binnington who helped Canada defeat the U.S. in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
According to Cooper, that means something. Then again, it might not. Which is why we'll probably see Logan Thompson — and maybe even Darcy Kuemper — early on in this tournament.
"He proved everything I felt about him right," said Cooper. "In the biggest stage, in the biggest moment, at the biggest time, he delivered. And we'd seen that before. There's just some guys who have the 'it' factor. He delivered when we needed it most.
"But is that guaranteed? You never know that. But everything we watched him on that playoff run and what he's done since has been pretty remarkable. He delivered for us."
A day earlier, Binnington showed why Cooper has so much faith in him. With his teammates wanting to cheer on their fellow athletes, Binnington organized a group outing that saw several Canadian players take the subway to a short-track speed skating final, where they witnessed Canada winning silver.
"He was in charge of everything," said Canada center Bo Horvat. "He was our tour guide for the day, so he did a great job. He got everybody there and everybody home. We're happy."
"He was probably volun-told that he was going to be the guy. But he pulled through."
Now, with a gold medal on the line, Binnington could end up being The Guy for Canada. Let's see if he can pull through again.
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