There have been a lot of rumors flying around this week about Alexander Ovechkin’s possible retirement. After the no-handshake debacle following a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 12, I was fully prepared to write a column about that development.
Then, Jonathan Quick thwarted my plans with a retirement announcement of his own.
On Monday, New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick announced that night’s game would be his last in the NHL.
Quick is 12th overall in all-time goalie wins, at 410, and is also the first American goaltender to reach 400 wins. He’s on the shortlist for the Hockey Hall of Fame. After 19 years in the NHL, Quick decided to hang up the skates with no fanfare, no celebration and absolutely no warning.
Known for his unflappable presence in goal and insistence to divert any praise for himself onto his teammates, it should not be surprising Quick dropped a retirement bombshell at the last possible second.
The 40-year-old Quick had an eventful NHL career. He won two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014 and a third with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.
Quick’s playing style was frenetic and exciting – or nerve-racking, depending on if he played for your team. He flopped all around the crease, making impossible saves, stretching to implausible angles and standing tall in the faces of the league’s best players.
But when Quick signed with the Rangers in 2023, I, like many other Rangers fans, was skeptical.
What a confusing move to sign Quick, an aging legend who played for West Coast teams his entire career. With three Stanley Cups already under his belt, New York felt like the last stop on his Hall of Fame career.
And so it would be.
There was no one Ranger fans wanted in goal less than Jonathan Quick.
Rangers fans remembered the man who stood in net against them in the Stanley Cup Final for the Kings in 2014. Some fans weren’t ready to forgive the netminder.
Nor was anyone happy to see Quick in net at all. In 2022-23, Quick had an .876 save percentage and a 3.50 goals-against average. The move to back-up star goaltender Igor Shesterkin from Quick, Knights’ former third-string goalie, who didn’t see a second of playoff action, was not a popular choice.
In September 2023, I sat in TD Garden watching Quick make his first start for the Blueshirts in a preseason game against the Boston Bruins.
From the 300-level seats, I watched players I’d never heard of whip around the ice. In the medley of pucks and players, I tried to pick out who I knew from AHL call-ups and new professional tryout agreement contracts. But I knew the goaltender: Jonathan Quick.
It was not a good start for Quick. The Bruins bested the Rangers 3-0, and Quick’s Rangers debut ended with 3 goals allowed on 14 shots.
It was the first NHL game I ever saw in person. Not a great first impression by any stretch.
But as the season continued, Quick proved himself as a formidable backup. In November, every Rangers fan’s greatest fear came true: Shesterkin got hurt.
Quick stepped in flawlessly and kept the Rangers in the running. The team won the Presidents’ Trophy that season, and it was in no small part due to who was between the posts.
The 2023-24 season was a good season to be watching the New York Rangers. But it was also good to see a redemption story.
Quick had a late-career resurgence with the Blueshirts, going 18-6-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average that season with his childhood team.
Last Monday, Quick led his team onto the ice in his 921st and final NHL appearance. Behind him, his teammates donned No. 32 for warmups.
Quick played his final game in Florida, against the Panthers. Amerant Bank Arena gave Quick a standing ovation.
I hoped the Rangers could pull off the win for Quick in his last NHL start, but that didn’t happen. The Rangers were down by one with minutes left in the third period.
With 1:43 left in his NHL career, Quick was pulled for a sixth attacker. Quick spent his last moments in the NHL on the bench.
With the seconds melting off the clock, Quick couldn’t do anything but watch the time tick down on his professional hockey career. The Rangers fell, 3-2, to the Panthers.
With Quick’s retirement and rumors of Ovechkin hanging up his skates, an era of the NHL is coming to an end. Though there are always YouTube highlight reels to watch if you miss your favorite players, the NHL could look very different in a few seasons.