The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa included this in his Sunday Hockey column about Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick:
A QUICK STUDY
Ex-coach likes what he sees
After Jonathan Quick’s junior season at Avon Old Farms, his coach delivered a message the goalie wasn’t keen to hear.
Quick was among the top prep school goalies in New England. But for someone that good, he allowed too many softies. And longtime coach John Gardner was blunt in his assessment.
“The rap on him was that he had a great year, but he’d give up one bad goal a game,’’ Gardner recalled. “On several occasions, he’d let in a bad goal. I told Jon that.’’
In his senior year, Quick posted nine shutouts. After each one, he approached Gardner with the same snarky question: “Any bad goals today, Coach?’’ The answer: “Not today, Quickie.’’
Well, yes today, Quickie. The Phoenix Coyotes caught Quick napping in the first period of Game One of their Western Conference Final:
Who’s snarky now, eh, Jonathan?
P.S. The Kings still won, 4-2. Quick’s postgame comments:
Quick called it “a lucky bounce.”
“Things happen,” he said. “This one is overwith. We’ll focus on Game 2 now.”
Maybe with a bit more humility.
Or maybe not.
Yeah, it took a lucky bounce off his right pad.
Bear in mind a goalie with humility is like a NY Times columnist with, well, humility. No, it’s like a presidential candidate with…no, wait…a CEO with…
Avon Old Farms. What a DB.
Let’s see: John likes to make fun of Gail Collins’ seeming obsession with Willard Romneys dog, but turns over a substantial portion of his own blog with coverage of OUT-OF-TOWN HOCKEY GAMES in a city that is notorious for lack of interest in the doings in other cities once the local entry has flamed out.
Chris Kreider, Brian Boyle, Mark Fayne, Keith Yandle, John Tortorella, etc.