For the first time in his remarkable career, Jonathan Quick will play a hockey game in Los Angeles not as a member of the Kings when his New York Rangers visit Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.
After being traded from the Kings to the Columbus Blue Jackets, then to the Vegas Golden Knights last season, the 37-year-old hoisted his third Stanley Cup after the Knights beat the Florida Panthers in five games in last year’s Stanley Cup Final.
Now a member of the Rangers after signing a one-year, $925,000 contract with the team he grew up cheering for in Connecticut, the American will be back in Los Angeles for the first time as a visitor.
“I was there a long time, a lot of us grew up there,” Quick said after the Rangers morning skate on Tuesday, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. “I have a lot of good friends there, but happy to be here now, making some new relationships and trying to help this team win hockey games.”
Quick is expected to get the start in Los Angeles on Saturday night. He led the Kings to Stanley Cup rings in 2012 and 2014, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2012 postseason.
“He is the Kings’ all-time leader in every meaningful goaltender category,” wrote Rosen.
“Regular season games played (743), wins (370), shutouts (57), career save percentage (.911), 20-win seasons (nine), 30-win seasons (six) and 40-win seasons (one); playoff games played (92), wins (49) and shutouts (10), save percentage (.921) and goals-against average (2.31).”
Quick earns high praise from both sides
Jonathan Quick is a surefire Hall of Famer, and he’s earned a ton of respect across the hockey world over the years.
“He should be remembered this weekend for [being] the best goalie in our organization and celebrated that way,” Kings general manager Rob Blake asserted, per Rosen.
“He’s meant a lot to us,” Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad echoed. “We’re fortunate to have [Igor Shesterkin] and the level of play he has, the caliber of goalie he is, and to add Quickie, I feel it’s a two-headed monster back there. The impact he has had on us in a short time is impressive.”
Quick has already played against the Kings this year, making 25 saves in a 4-1 win at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 10. But on Saturday night, it’s back to where he started — and thought he would retire after spending 16 straight seasons in LA from 2007-23.
“I think the fresh start helped,” Quick said of the trade. “I think going to Vegas the last few months of the season last year was great for me. It allowed me to enjoy the game and enjoy coming to work every day. It kind of helped motivate me to start somewhere new.”
And Quick has been excellent this season in a backup role, compiling a 9-3-2 with a sparkling 2.49 goals-against average and .912 save percentage over 14 starts.
His Rangers are 28-14-2 and first place in the Metropolitan Division, and the Kings fans who have had the privilege of watching him will finally get to thank Jonathan Quick for everything he did for the franchise.
“I’m sure he’ll get welcomed with open arms and they’ll have a big ordeal for him,” New York forward Vincent Trocheck said. “He played there for so long.”
For one of the best goalies in LA Kings history, a big ordeal makes sense for the three-time champ.
More must-reads: