Jonathan Quick isn’t getting any younger, but his level of competition remains very high despite some difficult years, as evidenced by his start to the season with the New York Rangers.
Who would have thought that after just over a month, the 37-year-old veteran would be one of the best assistant goaltenders in the National Hockey League (NHL)? The American managed to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night and improve his record to 4-0-1 after losing slowly in regulation time.
Most notably, Quick boasts a goals-against average of 1.98 and an efficiency ratio of 0.928; Stats very close to his performance in 2011-2012 when he got his hands on the Vezina Trophy.
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Obviously, he, who is now Igor Shesterkin’s assistant, is unlikely to be voted the best goalkeeper in the Bettman category again. The Russian takes on a lot of responsibility at the Rangers, which allows his teammate a flexible schedule.
However, that other Vezina Trophy holder was injured and hasn’t played since November 2nd. Quick and Louis Domingue stepped up their game and ensured the Blueshirts remained at the top of the Metropolitan group. Shesterkin’s return is now said to be imminent.
“It’s fun. It’s different doing it in a new environment, but I’m having a lot of fun with it. “We have a great team,” Quick said in the press scrum after the 4-3 shootout win over the Jackets.
The Connecticut native was a long-time member of the Los Angeles Kings and came close to home by signing a one-year contract with the Big Apple team. At the end of last season he won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights.