Editor’s note: On Saturday, Jordan Binnington pulled within one win of Mike Liut for the most wins by a goaltender in St. Louis Blues history. On Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, Binnington has his first chance to tie the record. Ahead of the game, The Athletic asked Liut for his perspective on what Binnington’s achievement will mean.
On Feb. 21, 1985, I received a phone call at 6 a.m., while asleep in a Buffalo hotel.
When you’re a professional athlete, a 6 a.m. call is never a good thing. It was Jacques Demers calling to tell me I was traded to the Hartford Whalers — the last-place, out-of-the-playoffs Hartford Whalers.
With the trade comes a rush of emotion, confusion and questions that have no immediate answers. My wife, Mary Ann, who grew up an hour east of St. Louis, had delivered our second child on Jan. 14; we were on the road, and I would not be returning home anytime soon. And my roommate was no longer a teammate.
I was not thinking about the Blues career wins mark or that I would not be adding to it. I cannot recall ever realizing I had the record. I was thinking, Jacques went to sleep with the knowledge that he had to deliver the news the next morning. Making the 6 a.m. call is never a good thing, either.
By circumstance, almost 40 years later, the record for most career wins by a St. Louis Blues goalie still stands, but entering this season, we expected that Jordan Binnington would set a new standard. The moment will come and go with the usual acknowledgment, but it will quickly recede to being just another Blues win, another Binnington win and maybe a future Blues trivia question.
There is, however, a story behind the setting of this record that should not go unnoticed.
I have known Jordan since he was 16 years old and, together with my Octagon colleagues, he is an athlete we have represented for more than a decade. The story is not about our relationship; it is about Jordan Binnington, the person and the athlete.
During his Ontario Hockey League career, Jordan’s bio page listed a favorite saying: “Be true to yourself, everybody else is already taken.” Jordan never wavered from trusting who he is or being true to that person. The story is, therefore, about Jordan remaining committed to his plan, persevering through adversity and continuing to believe in himself in the face of that adversity.
Almost every athlete reaches a point in their development when they realize that as they climb the sports ladder, they are surrounded by other athletes who look and play like them. The delta between the best player and the least of the players narrows, and one must accept that building a career is a process. And, for most, it is two steps forward, one step back.
To trust the process takes a mentally tough individual. There are moments when the game, in many ways, will rock your confidence and test your self-belief.
During my rookie year, I had the very good fortune to room with Pat Stapleton, an NHL Crash Davis-type character (my favorite), who let me in on a secret. He said, “Mike, everyone in hockey will give you a reason to fail. It’s up to you whether you believe them or not.”
Hockey gave Jordan several reasons why he should fail. There were moments when he could have lost faith in himself, but he has never compromised the core of his character, self-belief, determination and resilience, which together will make this moment happen.
We know Jordan’s meteoric journey during the Blues’ magical 2019 Stanley Cup championship, but it was the five seasons struggling through the disappointments that defined Jordan. It was being mired in the American Hockey League, competing with and falling behind Pheonix Copley and Ville Husso. It was three consecutive summers of one-year contracts. It was being farmed out to the Boston Bruins’ AHL Club — a season in NHL limbo. It was when he went to the 2018 Blues training camp as the fourth goalie on the depth chart.
It was in that moment, however, that Jordan’s character and self-determination were best defined. At some point during training camp, Marty Brodeur told Jordan that he would likely be assigned to the AHL, and as the story was told, Jordan stood staring at Marty in utter disbelief, notwithstanding that he was fourth on the goalie depth chart. Sometimes it just works out that way. The path can blur, and it can feel like the process is one step forward, two steps back.
It was, however, in the numerous difficult conversations we had during those years that I could sense Jordan was not going to be denied. Jordan clearly was not listening to any of the reasons he should fail. By the mid-point of the 2018-19 NHL season, we could start to see the path forward. With the Blues struggling, there would be opportunity in the second half, and when it presented, Jordan was ready to seize it.
We do not always recognize the moment when an athlete displays the mental strength that separates them from the others who look and play like them. I think of it as a series of small victories that fortify a person’s inner confidence, which leads to the moment when they trust their competitive talent.
Jordan always seemed to accept the winning (2011 OHL Championship) along with the defeats, as part of the process, and move forward with balance. Sometimes with a wobble, but always forward and eventually balanced.
An athlete who understands that the defeats are part of winning is an athlete who is more concerned with how to overcome the obstacle than the obstacle itself. An athlete who will learn from those defeats. At the end of Jordan’s junior career, he was selected as the 2013 OHL goalie of the year. In accepting the award, he opened by reminding those in attendance that he gave up nine goals in his first OHL start.
So, when the game comes that Jordan sets a new St. Louis Blues career wins record, it will pass with the usual acknowledgment, along with my heartfelt congratulations and admiration. It should, however, be remembered for Jordan’s unwavering confidence, determination and perseverance in reaching the NHL, in leading the Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup Championship and in achieving this mark … and beyond.
(Photos of Mike Liut and Jordan Binnington: Dilip Vishwanat and Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
