MONTREAL 鈥� Jordan Binnington took a seat in front of a half-dozen reporters.
A couple of metres away, Sidney Crosby was also fielding questions 鈥� and garnering most of the attention.
Binnington will get his own front-and-centre moment Wednesday night.
The St. Louis Blues goaltender is set to start for Canada against Sweden when the countries raise the curtain on the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
"Excited," Binnington said. "It's been a long time coming leading up to this tournament and now we're here."
The 31-year-old got the nod ahead of Vegas Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill and Montreal Canadiens counterpart Sam Montembeault.
"Jordan's been our guy," Canadian head coach Jon Cooper said following Tuesday's practice. "That kid's got fire in the belly, he's a competitor. We're really confident in him."
Binnington backstopped St. Louis to a Stanley Cup victory in 2019, but doesn't have great numbers in 2024-25. The Richmond Hill, Ont., product is 15-19-4 with an .897 save percentage and a 2.89 goals-against average to go along with three shutouts.
That, at least on the outside, isn't a concern to his teammates.
"Played in big games," said Crosby, captain of both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Canada. "Regardless of what team, you have capable guys, experienced guys. He fits that mould."
Binnington also played internationally at last year's world championship as part of a fourth-place showing.
"He's a competitor," said Canadian centre Connor McDavid. "Gonna do the job."
The shaky stat line isn't ideal, but Canada's second and third options haven't exactly set the league on fire either.
Hill, who won the Cup with Vegas in 2023, is 20-10-4 with a .900 save percentage, 2.64 GAA and two shutouts. Montembeault, a gold medallist at the 2023 worlds, is 18-21-3 with a .897 save percentage, 3.00 GAA and three shutouts.
Canadian goaltenders not picked by the country's management group when rosters were announced in early December include Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals, who's second in the NHL with a .921 save percentage.
Among netminders with at least 19 starts this season, there are eight from Canada with better numbers than the trio set to play at the round-robin showcase 鈥� the United States and Finland make up the rest of the field 鈥� that marks NHL players' return to high-level international competition after missing the last two Olympics.
Thompson and Los Angeles Kings counterpart Darcy Kuemper have .927 save percentages since Canada's team was picked, while Mackenzie Blackwood of the Colorado Avalanche owns a .922 mark.
That's a significant gap compared to Hill (.900), Binnington (.894) and Montembeault (.893) over the last two months.
Canadian general manager Don Sweeney, however, had a "front-row seat" when Binnington led St. Louis over his Bruins in Boston in Game 7 of the 2019 Cup final.
"We have no qualms," Sweeney said. "Confidence in all three guys."
McDavid said the group is ready for the tournament 鈥� one that doesn't include Russia because of the war in Ukraine or Czechia because of a schedule crunch 鈥� with the NHL's Olympic return exactly a year away.
"Make our country proud," said the Edmonton Oilers superstar captain. "This is all about national pride."
Canadian centre Nathan MacKinnon said the weight of these moments is real.
"We all take representing Canada very seriously," said the Colorado centre. "We know we have a ton of support and pressure. It's a good thing. It means you're doing something important."
Binnington, meanwhile, reflected on a career that has included long stretches in the minors.
He watched with pride as Carey Price put up a spotless record on the way to helping Canada secure a second straight gold medal at the 2014 Olympics.
Now his number has been called.
"It's special," Binnington said. "It's real. It's time."
WORKING TOGETHER
With such a short runway 鈥� two or three practices before the first games 鈥� countries don't have a lot of time to iron out any issues.
"Everybody just assumes it's gonna work," McDavid said of a star-studded roster. "That's not necessarily the case. It's got to come together real fast. But we'll make it work."
WILLIE STYLES
Swedish forward William Nylander is known for his cool-under-pressure demeanour, but does the Toronto Maple Leafs star ever feel angst in big moments?
"I just think I am like that," Nylander said. "But playing against the best players in the world on Team Canada, you're feeling some kind of excitement, a little nervous.
"That's just natural."
ANTHEM TALK
Fans in NHL and NBA arenas north of the border booed the American anthem in recent weeks amid political tensions in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff treats.
Canadian winger Brad Marchand hopes that's not the case at the Bell Centre this week. The Americans open Thursday against the Finns before facing Canada on Saturday.
"I don't think that's appropriate," said the Boston Bruins captain. "But everyone's free to do their own thing."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2025.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
