Rangers coach believes veteran goalie is ‘incredible pickup for us’
Peter Laviolette always admired Jonathan Quick’s greatness from afar. But he’s appreciating the future Hall of Famer even more these days now that they’re on the same side with the New York Rangers.
Each arrived on Broadway this past offseason. Laviolette was hired as Rangers coach June 13. Less than three weeks later, Quick was signed to be their No. 2 goalie behind Igor Shesterkin.
“Just an incredible pickup for us, for sure,” Laviolette said Monday.
Indeed.
Coming off a downturn in his magnificent career last season, Quick has turned the tables in this bounce-back season. In fact, the 38-year-old has been so good, the Rangers didn’t wait for the season to end to sign Quick to a contract extension, something they did March 3.
And Laviolette is thoroughly enjoying his up-close view of just how valuable the three-time Stanley Cup champion is to the Rangers.
“You watch him from the outside and you see how good he is in the net, you see the career he’s had, you see the amount of wins and the championships, but when you work with somebody, spend time with them, you get to see the work ethic and work habits in practice,” Laviolette explained.
“You get to see him and how he works with his teammates. You get to see the person a little bit more. And he is an incredible teammate and incredible person, and you might not get that when you’re coaching against him. … He’s first class.”
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Quick started his Rangers tenure 9-0-1 in his first 10 games this season, notably stepping up when Shesterkin missed some starts early on with an undisclosed injury. He also capably stepped in when Shesterkin needed some side work with goalie coach Benoit Allaire after the All-Star break.
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, Quick is 16-5-2 with a 2.44 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 games (23 starts). It took him 17 more games played last season with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights to achieve the same amount of wins. And his GAA was nearly a full goal more in 2022-23.
But Quick is back on track this season. Laviolette can see first-hand why.
“Just watch him out here in practice. He never complains about a drill and never complains about a shot. He just goes about his business and works every single day,” Laviollette said. “You see him in the room too, and see what a great teammate he is and what a great person he is.”
Quick’s next win will be his 392nd in the NHL. With that he will pass Ryan Miller for sole possession of most wins by a United States-born goalie in NHL history. He’ll also pass Miller for 14th all-time on the NHL wins list.
“I don’t think you get to the point where you’re knocking on the door of a record by being somebody that gets satisfied or complacent,” Laviolette said. “He’s a worker, deserved and fought for everything he’s gotten in his career.”
Laviolette and the Rangers would be thrilled if Quick adds another milestone to pad his Hall-of-Fame resume this season.
A fourth Stanley Cup championship.
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