Zizing 'Em Up: Brodeur talks Team Canada goaltending situation

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Monday he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts for his weekly notes column, “Zizing 'Em Up,” to preview the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

TORONTO -- Martin Brodeur is arguably the most decorated Canadian goalie in Olympic competition since NHL players started competing in the Games in 1998, an impressive resume that includes two gold medals (2002, 2010), a 7-3-1 record in 11 appearances, 2.08 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

Given that he also is the NHL’s all-time leader among goalies in wins (691), saves (28,928), shutouts (125), games (1,266), minutes played (74,438:25) and even goals scored (2), who better than the Hall of Famer to discuss and analyze the position?

Which brings us to Canada’s situation in the crease for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in February.

With final rosters for the participating countries to be announced in early January, there remains fretting among the fan base here north of the border as to the seemingly volatile goaltending situation.

There is reason to be, especially when examining the state of the three goalies who were on the Canadian roster at the 4 Nations Face-Off nine months ago.

Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights is week to week with a lower-body injury; a struggling Sam Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens (5-5-1, 3.49 GAA, .864 save percentage) seems to be playing himself out of Olympic contention; and Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues (6-6-5, 3.20 GAA, .878 save percentage) has admittedly lacked consistency.

Not to worry, Brodeur, now an executive vice president with the New Jersey Devils, insists, adding that there is more to the equation than just raw numbers. He said as much on Sunday, touching on all things Olympic goaltending during a 1-on-1 with NHL.com.

First off, let’s address one of the more popular topics in the hockey world, the one known as Scott Wedgewood. Right now, the Colorado Avalanche goalie has put himself on Team Canada’s radar after starting the season 13-1-3 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. He first broke into the NHL with the Devils in 2015-16 and came back to New Jersey for a second stint in 2020 before the Arizona Coyotes claimed him on waivers in 2021. What do you remember most about his stints there?

“I was working in Devils hockey operations at the time, and we had an overflow of goalies. I think we had six. We ended up putting him on waivers. ‘Fitzy’ (Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald) and I kind of joke about it now and admit it probably was a mistake. We had no choice but to put him on waivers. It was a question of numbers. It’s great to see the way he is playing.”

Does it surprise you to see him reach this level after more than a decade bouncing around the NHL, which also included stops with the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators?

“I know Scott very well. He’s not the biggest of guys but I always liked his work ethic. And I like the way he’s transformed his game. I think he trusts his instincts more. It took him a few teams to turn it around, Dallas, Nashville. And then he was part of Colorado’s two trades in a month last season that completely revamped their goaltending. Getting Mackenzie Blackwood was the other. You don’t often see a team do that in such a short timeframe. Blackwood started the season hurt and Scott has taken advantage of the opportunity.”

What about the fact he’s played himself into contention for Team Canada?

“Like I said, he deserves it. He’s a student of the game. I know that he still talks to our former goalie coach, Jacques Caron, about once a month, about goaltending. About anything actually. He’s a kid that still wants to get better now, just like he always has. He did everything in his power to make that happen and now it’s happening for him. I’m excited for him every time I watch him play.”

We’ve talked a lot in the past couple of years about the perceived wonky situation involving Canada’s goaltending in general. How do you feel about it now, with guys like 4 Nations Face-Off hero Binnington and the aforementioned Wedgewood among the mix?

“People have to understand that, what did we go, nine consecutive years without best-on-best international competition between the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 4 Nations Face-Off? This is a new generation of player, a new generation of goalie. It’s Jordan, it’s Scott, it’s Logan Thompson of the Capitals, guys like that. There was a tradition made there. It’s tough to be a goaltender for Canada.”

It was mentioned in a great story for NHL.com by colleague Dan Rosen back in September that you had some words of wisdom for Binnington during a round of golf you played together back in 2024 regarding the then-upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Sure enough, he was one of the stars in Canada’s 3-2 overtime victory against the U.S. in the tournament’s title game. Now, with the Olympics looming, what advice would you give -- or, perhaps, already have -- to Jordan or any of the other candidates less than three months before the Games?

“Like I said, it’s tough to be a goaltender for Canada. I had a conversation with ‘Binner’ this summer. I told him that you can’t always worry about stats. Sometimes numbers don’t show how you yourself are playing, especially when the team around you is struggling. If you have a record of say, 6-10, you can’t fret about that when it comes to being picked. Sometimes you are at the mercy of your environment. It is what it is when you’re a goalie, especially these days with stuff being wide open. The people doing the selecting know their stuff. They are looking at a larger body of work. They are looking at how you are playing, how you are seeing the puck and following the play, aspects of the game like that. How are your instincts? It’s the body of your work -- and not the body of your team’s work -- that should be of interest to Hockey Canada.”

In that regard, how much of an intangible is it that Binnington has won a 4 Nations title game and a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final, that coming with the St. Louis Blues in 2019?

“You have to be exposed to it. Yes, I think there's a mental fortitude you need to have. … If you have hockey sense, you'll realize where the danger is at, how the pressure is on, when to freeze the puck, when to let it go, when to play the puck. That's a lot of it. It's hockey sense. So without hockey sense, I think it's really hard to perform under the gun, because now you're limiting yourself a lot, just relying on your size and your technique and not getting out of your comfort zone. When you read the play well, when you're a good athlete, you're able to recognize what to do, when to do it. But if you don't have that tangible in your game, I think it's really hard to perform. If you look at all the goalies through the years that had a lot of success, most of them are great athletes and are great reading the game.”

Any examples?

“Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers, (Andrei) Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sergei Bobrovsky of Florida, to name a few. They’re not afraid to get out of their comfort zone, to leave their structure in order to make an athletic instinctive save. In other words, to make things happen. Wedgewood is there right now. Logan Thompson is like that. He’s all over the place sometimes but he does what he needs to do to stop the puck. It’s why I was all for bringing Jacob Markstrom to the Devils. He’s not robotic. Neither is Jake Allen.”

Finally, joking here, but any plans to come out of retirement and potentially solve Canada’s goaltending issues while gunning for a third gold medal?

“Ha. No chance. That ship has sailed. I’ll be cheering the guys on though.”

MEANWHILE, IN TEAM USA’S CAMP …

While on the subject of goaltending, Team USA general manager Bill Guerin said he is confident in Connor Hellebuyck’s ability to bounce back from injury.

The Winnipeg Jets’ veteran underwent knee surgery on Nov. 22 and was projected to be out 4-6 weeks. The 32-year-old won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie last season and was Team USA’s starter at 4 Nations.

“I’m encouraged he’ll be fine after that timeline,” Guerin told NHL.com on Sunday. “I stay in touch with ‘Chevy’ (Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff) and am on top of it.

“There’s a month left for us to finalize rosters so I’m confident we’re pretty much on top of everything, including how some of the injured guys are progressing.”

Among those Guerin is referring to is Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, who was one of the first six players selected to Team USA back in June.

The Senators captain was impressive in his return to the lineup Friday, collecting an assist and leading Ottawa with eight shots on goal and three hits in 17:12 of ice time in a 4-3 loss at the St. Louis Blues. The 26-year-old showed little-to-no rust after missing 20 games and 46 days with a thumb injury that required surgery to repair torn ligaments.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Guerin said. “He’s a Tkachuk. That’s the type of fire they bring.

“He came out ready to play. I expect nothing less.”

Guerin also said he was pleased to hear that Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson is motivated by being passed over for the 4 Nations team a year ago. Robertson, who had a goal and two assists in a 6-1 win against Ottawa Sunday, had 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in his previous 15 games and told NHL.com it’s his goal to make the Olympic roster.

“We have a few players like that,” Guerin said. “It’s the type of competition you want to see.

“I don’t think we’ll go right down to the (deadline) to select the team. I think we’ll have it whittled down by then. But certainly the time is valuable especially when it comes to gauging the progress of injured players.”

To Guerin’s point: Adam Fox, a member of Team USA at 4 Nations, was placed on long-term injured reserve by the New York Rangers on Sunday.

The defenseman sustained an upper-body injury during a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Fox left with 12:57 remaining in the third period after getting hit by Brandon Hagel and sandwiched into the end boards.

Fox, who was holding his left arm as he left the ice, has 26 points (three goals, 23 assists) in 27 games and is averaging 23:50 of ice time.

The key point here: A player on LTIR is required to miss at least 10 games and 24 days. That length of time means Fox would not return until, at the earliest, the end of December, when decisions for the final Olympic rosters are being made.

Meanwhile Team Canada officials are scheduled to meet in the next couple of weeks. Asked if USA Hockey has plans to do the same, Guerin chuckled.

“Yeah, but I can’t say when or where,” he said. “Otherwise I would have to, well, you know what.

“We’ll be ready. Count on that.”

OLYMPICS STOCK WATCH

Each week we’ll look at a candidate who’s catching our attention in the push to make his respective national team.

Artturi Lehkonen, Finland (Colorado Avalanche)

The Avalanche are flying these days and so too, to some extent, is Lehkonen. The 30-year-old has 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists) in 25 games, including a recent run in which he’s accrued five points (one goal, four assists) in his past three games. With Aleksander Barkov out of the tournament with a knee injury, Finland will need all hands on deck to help fill the offensive void in his absence. Keep in mind that Lehkonen and ex-Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen have been linemates in the past, dating back from their time as kids in minor hockey, to their time together in Colorado. Familiarity will be a key in a short tournament like this one, so don’t be surprised to see these two on the same line in Milan should Lehkonen make the team. At this point, given his present form, it would be a surprise if he didn’t.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

“I know we’ve talked about it before. So I’ll say it again: I think to play on the big ice would be ridiculous. Who plays on big ice anymore? Playing the Olympics on NHL-sized ice in Milan is the right way to go, and I’m so happy to see them doing it. It’s what most players are accustomed to. It’s the game we know. Playing on the big ice is an entirely different game.” -- Guerin

THE LAST WORD

It’s become a weekly issue of debate in this column.

Only because Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks continue to make it a relevant one.

Do the 20-year-old Bedard and 19-year-old Celebrini deserve to be on Team Canada? And even if they do, will general manager Doug Armstrong and his assistants actually select them?

This much is certain: When Armstrong and his staff meet in the next week or so, the name of those two youngsters will be front and center indeed.

The latest eye-popping moment came late Sunday afternoon via the electrifying Bedard, who turned in a spectacular four-point performance (two goals, two assists) in Chicago’s 5-3 victory against the Anaheim Ducks. The Blackhawks forward has not gone more than one game without recording at least one point all season.

With U.S. Thanksgiving having come and gone, meaning the calendar has now flipped into December, Celebrini is second in the NHL with 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists), and Bedard is third with 37 (16 goals, 21 assists), one more than Team Canada staple Connor McDavid (36 points; 11 goals, 25 assists) of the Edmonton Oilers. Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon who, like McDavid, was named as one of Canada’s first six players back in June, leads the League with 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists).

The names of Bedard and Celebrini continue to be mentioned with those of McDavid and MacKinnon when it comes to League leaders.

Will they all be together in Milan come February?

Over to you, Doug Armstrong and co.