Ken Dryden. Grant Fuhr. Ed Belfour. Patrick Roy. Martin Brodeur. Roberto Luongo. Carey Price.
Think of Team Canada and best-on-best competition dating back to the ’72 Summit Series, and well, it’s been a who’s who of Hockey Hall of Famers and Vezina Trophy winners and Stanley Cup champions to pick from in net.
Oh sure, there’s been controversy. Luongo replacing Brodeur as the starter midway through the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. The late Pat Quinn famously swapping out his own Leafs goalie Curtis Joseph in favor of Brodeur in Salt Lake City in 2002. Roy getting cut from the ’87 Canada Cup team.
It’s never boring.
But those were debates revolving around the very top goalies in the world.
The post-Price era in net for Team Canada is not at that level. Which doesn’t mean there aren’t good options, nor does it mean Team Canada can’t win the 4 Nations in February or the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Look at the rest of the lineup to know why Team Canada can still win.
But it’s not the same as it’s been at a rather key position.
The candidates right now are Jordan Binnington, Stuart Skinner, Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault, Darcy Kuemper, Connor Ingram, Cam Talbot, Logan Thompson and Tristan Jarry.
I’d love to see a world in which 39-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury, the future Hockey Hall of Famer, gets into the picture. But I don’t think that’s realistic.
There just aren’t that many Canadian goalies in the NHL anymore. Which is a story for another day.
But in the here and now, one can already feel the angst that’s building among Canadian hockey fans regarding this particular situation ahead of the 4 Nations.
“I don’t think we share that same angst,” Team Canada 4 Nations general manager Don Sweeney told The Athletic on Thursday. “We’ve got guys that have proven they can win at the highest level. And we’ll have guys that are going to play well as we’re going through it. So I don’t think we quite see things the same way (as media and fans).
“Where we sit right now, we’re pretty pretty confident in the group we’re evaluating and the chance that we’re going to have to win.”
There’s some winning pedigree in the group to be sure, led by Binnington’s tremendous 2019 Stanley Cup performance, as well as Cup wins by Hill in ’23, Kuemper in ’22, world championship gold for Montembeault two years ago, and Skinner falling one win short of a Cup win for Edmonton last spring.
This is a real competition for those three goalie jobs Team Canada will name by Dec. 2 for 4 Nations. None of these goalies have a Hockey Hall of Fame resume.
So when Montembeault opened the season with a monster performance against the Maple Leafs, Binnington was awesome in Seattle, and on the flip side Skinner was yanked in his season opener, it’s easy to get caught up in that wide-open Team Canada goalie competition.
“We’re not going to overreact,” cautioned Sweeney. “We’re taking the longer-term perspective. … But we’re confident in the group of guys that we have. We’re going to evaluate each and every game they play and make the best decision.”
Obviously, Sweeney wouldn’t tip his hand, but I have to think Binnington has the inside track right now. He’s got the most polished pedigree over the last half decade.
After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
For any of these guys, the 4 Nations could be a career-changer, especially if it leads to a gig on the Olympic team in ’26.
“I’m definitely aware of it,” Binnington, who played for Canada at the worlds last spring, told The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford on Thursday. “At the same time, I feel like I understand that giving my best every day and performing and taking care of what I can control will lead to whatever may come. So that’s my focus.
“Obviously, you’re aware of the big picture and it would be a great honor and a privilege to suit up with the Canadian leaf on your jersey. Other than that, nothing changes. It’s the same old story every day, doing what I can.”
It just so happens that Blues GM Doug Armstrong is also Team Canada’s Olympic GM and is working in concert with Sweeney on the 4 Nations process.
So Binnington doesn’t need to wonder which eyes are on him, Team Canada-wise. But the reality, Sweeney said, is that the management group is evaluating every single Canadian NHL goalie. All their games are being watched, one way or another.
Of course, there’s an A list and a B list and so on, but those names can jump up and jump down over the next seven weeks.
Seven weeks to make one final impression before the Dec. 2 roster deadline.
“Obviously, it would be a goal for me,” Montembeault told The Athletic’s Habs beat writer, Arpon Basu, in an interview on the eve of camp. “Because those are the players in that (4 Nations) tournament that will mostly be going to the Olympics the year after that. So it’s always going to be in the back of my mind.
“I don’t want to think about it too much, but obviously it would be great to represent your country. So it’s going to be important for me to have a good start to the season for sure.”
Skinner had his ups and downs in last season’s playoffs but overall showed impressive moxie in where he got his team. Can he be more consistent this season? Will it lead to a Team Canada nod?
“I don’t really think too much of it just because it’s pretty far down the line,” Skinner told The Athletic’s Oilers beat writer, Daniel Nugent-Bowman, before the season. “It’s nice hearing your name, but it doesn’t solidify anything. Nothing’s written in stone. There’s a lot of games for me to play — and to play well. Ultimately, it’s not so much to play in the 4 Nations. It’s more so trying to make the playoffs and trying to make a run for the Cup.
“If it happens, it’ll be an absolute honor and privilege. I’m just looking to play my best.”
Hill was brilliant for Vegas in that Cup run in ’23 but took a step back last season with injuries and inconsistency. For sure he’s thinking about the chance at hand for Canada.
“Any time you can put on the Team Canada sweater, it’s an honor, right?,” he told The Athletic’s Golden Knights beat writer, Jesse Granger, recently. “I got to do it once in the world championship, and we were lucky enough to win gold. I’d love to.”
Each goalie’s career body of work carries a lot of sway, but the next seven weeks still matter, too, as far as getting the freshest information.
“Absolutely,” Sweeney said. “The goaltender position is no different than any other player. We’ve got a group of guys we’re evaluating. Sometimes you’ve got a young guy emerging as he goes through the league. Some of those things are factors. Who’s playing well? Who are the best players for us when we go to make that decision?”
Team Canada did a lot of leg work this summer with the management group and coaches looking over the options. They’re not starting the season with an empty canvas.
“We have to keep a wide angle on this,” Sweeney said. “The body of work at any position will matter — what they’ve done over the course of their careers and what they’re currently doing. That’s how we’re going to evaluate.”
There’s also this important distinction. While three goalies are getting named on Dec. 2, there’s another two months to evaluate which goalie should start the opener in Montreal on Feb. 12.
They’re not naming their No. 1 goalie on Dec. 2. Why would you? Use the time.
“You’re 100 percent correct on that front,” Sweeney said. “The evaluation will not stop. In some cases, God forbid for any of these 4 Nations teams, you have injuries and such and somebody else might get an opportunity.
“So yes, we’ll name our team but then we won’t stop trying to have an understanding of who is playing the best.”
And for what that means in goal for Canada is likely a last-minute call going with the hot hand.
(Top photos of Sam Montembeault and Jordan Binnington: Vitor Munhoz and Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
