NEW YORK – Jordan Binnington has a new special place in St. Louis Blues history: The franchise’s all-time record in goaltender wins.
Binnington secured his record-breaking 152nd regular-season victory as a Blues goaltender on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils, stopping 31 shots for a win that also marked the 16th shutout in his NHL career.
With the win, Binnington surpasses his current professional hockey agent, Mike Liut, at the top of the record books. Liut’s previous record of 151 victories as a Blues goaltender stood for nearly four decades.
After matching Liut’s record on Thursday in front of a packed home crowd, Binnington said on the chase for the record, “It’s pretty special. I’m proud of this for so many different reasons. I’m proud to be a Blue and play hard for this city.”
This season marks Binnington’s fifth consecutive season as the Blues’ definitive starting goaltender. To date, he also holds the distinction of being the only netminder to win a Stanley Cup title-clinching game in Blues history.
That followed an impressive rookie season in the 2018-19 campaign, during which the Blues worked their way from last place in January to Cup champions. Many credit Binnington’s first NHL start, a 25-save shutout on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 7, 2019, as a turning point in the Cup chase.
Binnington won at an impressive clip, 24 times in 30 starts to close the 2018-19 regular season, to force his way into a starting role over Jake Allen, paving the foundation for an improbable run that would later lead to the Blues’ first Stanley Cup title in 52 seasons.
Binnington also holds the Blues’ all-time playoff wins record (20), most of those which he attained in St. Louis’ Stanley Cup season. These victories, however, do not count toward the Blues all-time regular season record he just secured.
Some of Binnington’s most memorable wins that added up toward the record, along with his first start, include a 2019 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs that gave the Blues a franchise-record 11 consecutive victories, a career-high 50-save victory in 2021 over the Vegas Golden Knights, and the 2022 Winter Classic outdoor matchup over the Minnesota Wild.
Binnington, now 31 years old, has three seasons remaining in a six-year, $36 million contract that took effect at the start of the 2021-22 campaign. If he stays healthy and primarily in a starter’s role, it’s not out of question for him to someday become the first to 200 wins as a Blues goaltender.