ST. LOUIS — Like a lot of NHL players who come to work in the same building that hosts concerts and stand-up comics, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington has met his share of celebrities.
Few compare to Adam Sandler, who Binnington presented with a stick and a jersey when he stopped in St. Louis for a show Friday.
Though the goalie is certainly a fan of Sandler’s schtick on the big screen, including the hockey-themed “Happy Gilmore,” there was another aspect of the actor’s life that interested him more.
“The most impressive thing with him is how he has the successful career and he’s a strong family man,” Binnington said. “That’s where I’m at, so to see the background of the work there and the family dynamic, I definitely find those interactions to be inspiring personally.”
Sandler has been married to his wife, Jackie, since 2003, and they have two daughters: Sadie (19) and Sunny (16), who recently appeared in “Happy Gilmore 2” with their father.
Johnny Binnington, the son of Jordan and his wife, Cristine Prosperi-Binnington, celebrated his first birthday in July, so he’s not quite ready to put on the pads and join Dad in the NHL. Still, the netminder said having a family has been a game-changer.
“Life has simplified in ways,” Binnington said. “Family time, work time, prep time. We wrestle around a little bit, and those are times where there’s more intention and quality in mind. It’s such an amazing feeling hanging out with your kid and then coming to work, and now he’s coming to games, and he’s super excited. I’m enjoying it.”
Grown Ups 3? pic.twitter.com/RWV9LcwEOk
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 20, 2025
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 14 years since Binnington was selected in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft and six years since he burst onto the scene in St. Louis and won a Stanley Cup in 2019.
He’s now 32 years old, making him the fifth-oldest player on the Blues’ roster.
“Binner’s getting up there! I think I started seeing some gray hairs,” longtime teammate Oskar Sundqvist said, laughing. “But no, from when I met him the first time until now, he’s grown so much individually with his wife and son. You can see a difference in him from before Johnny and after Johnny. He’s talked to me about it, how even if he has a bad game, that game is gone.”
“He’s a dad now, so he’s got more responsibilities outside the rink,” Joel Hofer, Binnington’s goalie partner of the past three seasons, said. “I think he enjoys that, and I don’t want to say that he likes the challenge of it, but he definitely seems excited. He stays in the moment really well. He stays committed to his craft and doesn’t let a bad game dictate that, or let it go off track.”
There’s been an example of that already this season.
In the Blues’ regular-season opener, Binnington gave up five goals on 21 shots in a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Though the five goals against weren’t all on him, he was the first one on the ice for the team’s practice the next day. In two starts since, he’s 2-0 with 42 saves on 45 shots (.933 save percentage), including 18 in a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
“My mindset is to continue to build every day,” Binnington said. “That’s an everyday process, and I’m enjoying the process right now. It’s fun to be in a team environment and building that camaraderie. That’s what I want to be around, that winning attitude and culture, and just playing hard for each other. That’s what I’m playing for.”
That’s the Binnington characteristic that sticks out the most to Blues coach Jim Montgomery, who spent time with two of the all-time greats, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy.
“(Binnington) is probably the most like Brodeur,” Montgomery said. “Brodeur was recognized as a really good teammate with great leadership, and Binnington has those same traits: his feel for where our team is at and how we’re playing. If I want to get someone’s opinion who’s not wearing a letter, I’m going to him or (Cam) Fowler.”
“That’s nice,” Binnington said of Montgomery’s compliment. “I’m just trying to be true to myself, and whatever that is and whatever I feel, I’m going to say.”
Binnington couldn’t express himself, though, if he didn’t have the experience he does.
He’s played in 340 regular-season games, which is the second most in Blues history behind Mike Liut (347). He’s one of only 72 goalies in the history of the game who have played as many regular-season games with one organization, and he’s just one of 32 on that list who have won at least one Stanley Cup.
“It’s one of those moments where you’re telling me that and it’s pretty special, especially with one organization,” Binnington said. “I’m very grateful and honored to play that many games in the NHL, and hopefully there’s many more to come.”
To play more, Binnington has to continue taking care of himself.
Recently, Montgomery announced that the starting assignments for the Blues’ goalie tandem will be more of a split than they were in the past two seasons. In 2023-24, Binnington started 55 games and Hofer 27. In 2024-25, Binnington started 54 and Hofer 28.
“If you look at Binner’s career, the more games he’s played, it’s just harder on the body,” Montgomery said. “Being in the West, you switch time zones a lot more than you do in the East. If you look at the goalies who played a lot, Brodeur, he was in the East. (The Boston Bruins’) Tuukka Rask, he was in the East. (The Tampa Bay Lightning’s) Andrei Vasilevskiy, he’s in the East.”
It’s part of Binnington’s three-pronged plan: family time, work time, prep time.
“It just goes into the added recovery time and preparation,” he said. “It’s quality over quantity and knowing yourself. That’s the beautiful part of gaining experience in the league and knowing what you’re preparing for every time you’re in there for a game. It’s just continuing to evolve.”
Binnington plans to reach out to Brodeur, who played the most games of any goalie in NHL history (1,266), to learn more about his preparation later in his career.
“As more time goes by, the more respect I have for a guy like Marty, how he maintained such a high level for so long,” he said. “From the outside in, he really figured out what worked for him. It’s something that I’d like to have conversations in the future about — just to get some wisdom from such a highly respected goaltender. I have Mike Liut (Binnington’s agent), too. It’s nice to have resources like that.”
dontcha just gLOVE to see it? pic.twitter.com/wO6zpArpGK
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 19, 2025
Binnington’s workload this season will likely include the 2026 Olympics in Milan, where he’s expected to be on Team Canada’s roster and perhaps the country’s starting goalie. Four months away from that tournament, he doesn’t want to spend too much time talking about it.
“It ties into everything — just being in the moment and taking care of business right now,” Binnington said. “Whatever that is currently right in front of me, we’ll take care of that and then … you know (the Olympics) is in sight and you’re working for that. But it’s just keeping your focus in the present moment and building for an experience like that.”
Binnington also doesn’t want to look too far into his future in St. Louis. He has two seasons remaining on the six-year, $36 million contract he signed in 2021. He has a modified no-trade list, which allows him to submit a 14-team no-trade list this season and a 10-team no-trade list next season. He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Binnington said he would love to finish his career with the Blues but added, “That’s the present focus, so that’s all I can give you.”
Either way, there’s a good chance the franchise’s all-time winningest goalies (175 victories) will one day have a statue in front of Enterprise Center, next to Bernie Federko, Brett Hull and Al MacInnis.
“There isn’t a goalie out there, is there?” Sundqvist said. “Yes, it’s definitely going to be a Binnington! It’s going to be him after a win, saying ‘thank you’ to the fans with his stick up in the air.”
Hofer agreed about the statue and that Binnington would be holding something in the air, but it won’t be his stick.
“I mean, probably him raising the Cup, right?” Hofer said. “That would be the one thing that would come to mind for me.”