Canada’s Jordan Binnington silences haters in Olympics shutout win over Czechia

Jordan Binnington helped Team Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, but there were many who believed he would not be the starter in the 2026 Olympics. Amid a dreadful season with the St Louis Blues, Binnington got the net for Canada’s first game against Czechia on Thursday. He stole the show, making 26 saves in the 5-0 win.

Canada shuts out Czechia for its first win in Milan pic.twitter.com/Fp5gMHdHeN

— ESPN (@espn) February 12, 2026

Binnington stopped every shot that came his way in the game, including all 12 in the first period. Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring with six seconds to go in the first period, marking his first Olympic goal. From there, it was all Canada, evidenced by this stat from PDOcast host Dmitri Filopovic.

“Connor McDavid: 14 scoring chances created. Czechia: 12 scoring chances created,” Filopovic reported. McDavid was all over the ice, and Czechia’s goalie, Lukas Dostal, was under attack for the entire game. Meanwhile, Binnington comfortably handled all of the scoring chances that came his way.

Canada brought Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper as the backup goalies, but it appears to be Binnington’s net. One of those goalies may play in the tournament because of how many games there are, but for now, Binnington is the lead dog for Jon Cooper.

Canada flexed its incredible depth on Thursday’s win, getting a goal from 4th line center Bo Horvat and losing Josh Morrissey during the game. The loss of Morrissey could hurt the Canadians moving forward, as the Jets defenseman is key to their powerplay. Shea Theodore stepped up and played well in Morrisey’s absence, but neither he nor Travis Sanheim will be a second-unit powerplay quarterback.

Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby picked up an assist on Nathan MacKinnon’s third-period goal. At 38 years old, he is back in the Maple Leaf, looking for his third Olympic Gold Medal. He was vital to their 4 Nations title last year, and could win his fifth best-on-best tournament this month.

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