Snub? Penguins’ Jarry Says He Isn’t On Canada’s Olympic List

The Pittsburgh Penguins could hardly ask more this season of goaltender Tristan Jarry, and with the team making a trek across Western Canada, his name has come up lately as a possibility for Team Canada for the 2022 Winter Olympics. But Jarry said Friday that would be news to him.

The player who has arguably been the Penguins’ MVP and one of the top goalies of the first quarter or so of the NHL season doesn’t appear to be heading to Beijing.

Asked after the Penguins practiced Friday in Vancouver if he was on Team Canada’s list of prospective players, Jarry simply said, “No.”

He allowed that having his name tossed around as a possible Team Canada member “is pretty cool,” but he immediately deflected that attention with one of his standard, generic answers: “It’s about hard work, coming to practice every day and working hard. I think that’s what translates to your game.”

He ranks sixth in the NHL with a 1.97 goals-against average, eighth with a .933 save percentage, and tied for second with three shutouts. There have been nights, such as Monday’s 2-1 shutout loss at Calgary, when he has nearly single-handedly kept the Penguins in games. There was a stretch where he struggled in shootouts, but he has seemed to pull out of that.

Jarry, 26, had a strong regular season in 2020-21, going 25-9-3, but he was universally considered a flop in the playoffs when the Penguins again bowed out in the first round, against the New York Islanders.

That playoff performance might have dissuaded Team Canada officials from having Jarry on their short list entering this NHL season, but his play would seem to indicate his deserving a look at inclusion.

Asked about his play this season Jarry said he simply worked on “elevating all parts (of my game). I think that was something that I wanted to improve on over the summer, just kind of round out my game and make sure that I’m doing better in all aspects of it and just pushing myself to be better every day.”

At some point in January, the Olympic hockey rosters must be submitted. Jarry isn’t sure what provisions there might be to add him to Canada’s prospective roster. He apparently has not been going through various protocols prescribed by the International Olympic Committee, and the Games start two months from Saturday.

“I have no idea,” Jarry said.

Among Jarry’s competition, should he be officially added to the conversation, could be former Penguins franchise goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, now with Chicago, and Montreal’s Carey Price if he is healthy.