Quick, who shares 'cool bond' with Blackhawks, outduels Mrázek in Kings' OT win
Patrick Kane, Jack Johnson, and Jonathan Quick have all played together at one point or another. All three played together for the United States in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where they all received silver medals.
Kane and Quick, the Kings' goaltender, are two of the most influential American-born hockey players of this generation, and they played together in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, as well. And Hawks defenseman Johnson and Quick not only played together on the international level, but were also teammates on the Los Angeles Kings from 2008 to 2012.
In one of those years - 2012-13, after Johnson had been traded to the Blue Jackets - the Blackhawks took down the Kings in five games to move on to the Stanley Cup. The year after that, Quick and the Kings took revenge on the Hawks in seven games in the same conference finals series.
And now, after all those years of playing together and competing against each other, it's strictly business, which was demonstrated when the Kings got the overtime job done against the Blackhawks, 2-1.
"Whenever we play against each other," Johnson said, "it's a nod, and you say 'Hi, how you doing?'"
That's all. No animosity. Just former teammates focused on winning a hockey game. And that's just one reason why they've been so successful, especially Quick and Kane.
Going into Thursday night's matchup, Quick had played in 723 games and won 364, both fourth all-time for American-born goalies. Kane entered with 1,119 games played and 1,190 points recorded, 28th and 5th all-time, respectively, among American-born players.
One goalie, and one skater, but both no-nonsense, legendary hockey players.
"(He's a) different type of goaltender," Kane said. "Have had some great battles against him in the playoffs, and he's still getting it done, even as he gets a little bit older. He presents some different challenges with how low he is to the ice, how good he is side to side, so you really have to get the puck up in the upper part of the net, try to use those side-to-side one-timer passes to beat him."
Johnson also remembers Quick as being a revolutionary goaltender with his patented low crouch.
"I remember him almost being one of the first goalies that it was really hard, when you make a deke and you try to go upstairs on him," Johnson said, "he (was) the first guy to hold his glove out, so you (would) put it right in his glove."
It took a bit of time to put anything in Quick's glove Thursday night, as the Blackhawks took more than five minutes to get a shot on net. And even with Max Domi's one-timers on their first power play, they were unable to lift one past the Kings' goalie. But it was Taylor Raddysh who sent one in blocker-side on a power play after 10 minutes of no shots on net to put the Blackhawks ahead 1-0 at the end of the first.
The Hawks were off to a 1-0 lead, but it really was a slow start for both teams. The Kings picked it up in the second when Phillip Danault scored in the first two minutes, but after that, it was a pure goalie battle. Petr Mrázek, who played in his first game since October 21, stopped 12 shots in the third, and Quick stopped 4 in overtime. It was a deadlocked battle after 64:59 of hockey, but with one second remaining in overtime, Kevin Fiala won it for the Kings. Win No. 365 for Quick (28 saves).
Although the pleasantries might be limited between the players, there is still a connection. There seems to be a mutual appreciation, out of those memorable playoff series and Olympic runs and regular season battles like Thursday night's, that those days are not forgotten.
Although the Blackhawks lost Thursday night, the distant recognition will remain.
"It's a cool bond," Johnson said of his relationship with Quick. "I always root for him and cheer for him when I'm not playing him."