Jonathan Quick is set to start against his former team as the New York Rangers take on the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
It will be just the third game he’ll play against the Kings and the second time starting in the confines of Crypto.com Arena.
In 16 seasons with the Kings, Quick won two Stanley Cups and established himself as one of the great goaltenders of this generation.
It’s been a long time since those days, but the memories of Quick’s dominance in Los Angeles are certainly still remembered.
“Elite, just an elite goaltender and a fierce competitor,” Mike Sullivan says of what he remembers of Quick during his tenure with the Kings. “I think he commands so much respect because he's earned it through his body of work. I've said this so many times, I think he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
“I mean, with what he did in his years here in LA to help those teams win Stanley Cups the way they did, he was such a huge part of it, he was a cornerstone of those teams… He’s an inspiration to me.”
Quick recently made his 800th career start, and on Wednesday, he’ll turn 40 years old, joining Brent Burns, Alex Ovechkin, and Corey Perry as the only players who are in their 40s.
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It’s an impressive milestone, but it’s no surprise to Sullivan that Quick is still in the NHL approaching his 40th birthday.
“It's not by chance he's continuing to play at the level he's playing at the age he's at,” Sullivan said. “You have to love what you do to continue to keep your game at the level that he keeps it at his age. I just think he's a great example for all of us, just the passion that he brings to his job every day and how hard he works at it, to try to keep his game at the most elite level and the most competitive level that he can. I have so much respect for his overall body of work in this league, and now having the opportunity to work with him and watch what he does on a daily basis, it's not by accident.”