There were a lot of Canadian hockey fans who weren’t convinced Jordan Binnington was the best choice as starting goalie at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Their fears have returned Wednesday. Binnington and Team Canada have allowed two first-period goals to Czechia in the Olympic quarterfinal and trail 2-1 after one.
Fans took no time at all to hit social media with their takes:
I was told Binnington shows up in big games because he won a cup 7 years ago. Anyone care to confirm?
— TonesMac (@tonesmac18) February 18, 2026
GET BINNINGTON OUT OF THE NET
— liv ✨🦭🇨🇦 (@0conomy) February 18, 2026
MORE: A dog stole the show at the finish line of cross country skiing
The other goalie dressed on Wednesday for Team Canada is Logan Thompson.
Binnington, to be fair, shouldn’t necessarily be blamed for either goal.
The first score for Czechia came at the end of a pinpoint passing move that created a tap-in, although Binnington may have overcommitted to one side of the goal.
The second came on a Czechia powerplay when a puck swing to David Pastrnak in the left slot led to a rocket slap shot for a goal, a lot like Alex Ovechkin.
Already preparing for Canadians to blame Binnington (neither goal was his fault if you’re watching)
— Air Jordan Love🧀 (@jimbothelife) February 18, 2026
MORE: Jake Canter had a 20% chance to live, but he just won an Olympic medal
On the flip side, Binnington gave up a bad rebound early that could’ve led to an opening goal for Czechia, but the wide-open shot hit the outside of the post.
Canada won’t pull Binnington just after this one period. They’ve obviously committed to the Blues goalie as their starter.
But he’ll need to be better, or this tournament could have a nightmare finish for the Canadians.
