Team Canada's starter for rivalry matchup versus Team USA announced by Elliotte Friedman
Elliotte Friedman announced Team Canada' starting goaltender for the crucial matchup against Team USA tonight in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Tonight, fans could be witsnessing the biggest hockey game of the year, as Team Canada and Team USA will meet on the ice for a matchup that'll go straight in the history books.
The rivalry between Canada and the United States has obviously reached another level recently, and the game goes far beyond hockey for Canadians and Americans.
While Jon Cooper confirmed earlier this week that he doesn't plan on making a rotation between the pipes during the tournament, fans were eagerly waiting to see if he would do as he said.
In breaking news, the insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed that Jordan Binnington will be back between the pipes after beating Team Sweden 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night.
Here's what the insider posted on X:
After the win, Jon Cooper's comments showed how much he trusted Binnington to make the big saves, just like he did back in 2019 when he led to St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup.
In his own words:
"When he [had to make] the big save in overtime, he made it," Cooper said. "And gave us a chance to win and we did."
"When I told him he was going to start tonight, we just talked about playing in big moments and big games. And he's done it all," Cooper said.
"Even in his Cup run, he had to go on the road to win Game 7. But in the end, I said, 'You're going to have a team that's going to be playing hard in front of you. Make the saves that you're supposed to make. Maybe slide in one that you're not.' And that's what he did," Cooper said.
"When I told him he was going to start tonight, we just talked about playing in big moments and big games. And he's done it all," Cooper said.
"Even in his Cup run, he had to go on the road to win Game 7. But in the end, I said, 'You're going to have a team that's going to be playing hard in front of you. Make the saves that you're supposed to make. Maybe slide in one that you're not.' And that's what he did," Cooper said.
Binnington was also proud of his performance, saying he was grateful to be a part of the team:
"It was amazing to be a part of," he said. "I was very grateful and honored to be wearing the jersey and in the net."
"There's nothing like that atmosphere," Binnington said. "You take a second and find yourself in overtime, Canada versus Sweden in Montreal. It's a huge moment. This is why you put the work in."
"There's nothing like that atmosphere," Binnington said. "You take a second and find yourself in overtime, Canada versus Sweden in Montreal. It's a huge moment. This is why you put the work in."
Binngington's teammates also had good words to share about the goalie:
"Clutch. He made some huge saves down the stretch. A huge save in overtime, I think it was on Zibanejad, which gave our top-end skill a chance to win the game for us. Just thought he made the big save when he needed to and gave us a chance to get it done."
- Mark Stone
"'Binner,' with huge, huge saves." - Connor McDavid
- Mark Stone
"'Binner,' with huge, huge saves." - Connor McDavid
Fans are eager to see if he'll be able to keep the same level against Auston Matthews, the Tkachuk brothers, Jack Hughes, and the rest of Team USA tonight.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Team Canada made the right choice by sending Jordan Binnington between the pipes for the game against Team USA? | ||
| Yes | 102 | 41.5 % |
| No | 144 | 58.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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