Jordan Binnington has done it again. He helped Team Canada defeat the United States in overtime, in which he made a fantastic save that gave all the momentum to Team Canada. Connor McDavid would score the eventual game winner for Canada.
This latest performance by Binnington is another example of what type of goaltender he is. He always shows up in the big games, and no one can ever take that away from him. He went out there and won that game for his country, and for his team. No one can say he doesn't love or care about the sport of hockey.
This championship clinching performance should send a message to the NHL
NHL fans should start looking at Binnington just like Blues fans look at him. He might let in one that you don't particularly like, but he always makes saves when the team needs him to. That's what makes him a valuable goaltender in this league.
The narrative that NHL fans have is that when Binnington shows his emotions out on the ice, that somehow makes him a bad goaltender needs to stop. He just showed up in one of the biggest games of his career for his home country and won. Hopefully some fans that didn't like him will view him in a different light.
Parayko and Team Canada deserve credit as well
Colton Parayko didn't do a ton in the tournament, but he was involved in a fight in the first matchup between these two teams. It was surprising to see Parayko drop the gloves in that game, as that is something he rarely does. Perhaps this tournament will encourage him to fight a little bit more on the ice.
Despite if you're a Blues fan who rooted for Team Canada because of Parayko and Binnington, or rooted for Team USA because you're American, that was a great hockey game. This whole tournament was great for the sport as a whole.