Jon Cooper didn’t even consider starting Logan Thompson over Jordan Binnington in Team Canada’s Olympic opener

Coming into the 2026 Winter Olympics, one of the biggest question marks hanging over gold-medal favorite Team Canada was in their own net. The country leaned on St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to win the 4 Nations Face-Off last year, but Binnington has statistically been the worst goaltender in the NHL this season.

On the flip side, the Washington Capitals’ Logan Thompson has been the near opposite, dominating for a second-straight campaign with the Caps. However, according to Tampa Bay Lightning and Canada head coach Jon Cooper, Thompson was never in the running to start the nation’s Olympic-opening game against Czechia on Thursday.

Cooper told the AP’s Stephen Whyno that his mind was made up to put Binnington in goal, “probably about 358 days ago,” referring to Canada’s success in the 4 Nations tournament. Despite telling the media that he would reveal his decision about the starting goaltender the night before the game, Cooper appeared to let Binnington know he would get the nod in January, per a story relayed by FanDuel Sports Network’s Andy Strickland.

“Jon Cooper and Jordan Binnington met a few weeks ago at the Lightning hotel when Tampa Bay was in St. Louis,” Strickland tweeted. “The two had a great conversation, enjoyed a Guinness or two, and Cooper confirmed his belief in Jordan Binnington, who left the meeting feeling confident knowing he’d be given the opportunity to be the guy.”

To Cooper’s credit, Binnington rewarded his faith with a 26-save shutout of the Czechs to put the Canadians atop Group A after their first game. However, it’s still tough to ignore just how bad Binnington has been in the NHL for the Blues compared to Thompson and even the team’s third goalie, Darcy Kuemper.

Team Canada’s three goalies during 2025-26 NHL season

Canada opens its tournament with back-to-back games, playing the Czechs on Thursday and Switzerland on Friday. After Cooper’s comments on Wednesday, it appears likely that Thompson will make his Olympic debut against the Swiss.

“I would say that’s a safe assumption,” Cooper said of two different netminders playing the two games. “We’ve got three phenomenal goalies. Goalies who have a lot of hardware in their trophy case.”

Given Binnington’s performance against Czechia, the start against the Swiss could be Thompson’s lone appearance in Italy. The only way for him to see more time would be for Binnington to return to more of his NHL form, or for Canada as a team to falter, leading them to play on back-to-back days again later in the tournament.

Thompson came into the Olympics ready for any role given to him, even if that meant filling the team’s water bottles. He was left off the 4 Nations roster last year for what some believed to be due to a frosty relationship with former Vegas Golden Knights head coaches Bruce Cassidy and Pete DeBoer, who are on Cooper’s staff.

After playing Switzerland on Friday, the Canadians will play their final group game against France on Sunday.