SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Quick says Monday night's game was his last in the NHL, meaning the 40-year-old is retiring to end a career that spanned nearly two decades and included a stretch in which he was one of the best goaltenders of his generation.
Quick and the New York Rangers lost to the Florida Panthers, 3-2.
“Team played great,” Quick said. "I wished I'd had a couple more saves for them. ... But it was still special, to see the way these
guys played. It's an honor to play my last game with this group here."
Quick announced earlier in the day that Monday would be his finale, and that when the news got out the text messages and well-wishes began pouring in. The day became a trip down memory lane, Quick said, and the Rangers all took the ice for warmups wearing jerseys with his name and number 32 on the back.
“That was cool,” Quick said. “That was special from those guys.”
The game at Florida was his 921st appearance, counting playoffs.
“He earned the respect of his teammates, coaches and staff members through his work ethic and dedication to his craft,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a statement posted on social media. “Jonathan is a special person and player, and the entire Rangers organization wishes him — along with his wife, Jackie, and three children, Madison, Carter and Cash — all the best in retirement.”
Quick backstopped the Los Angeles Kings to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and ’14 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the first of those two title runs.
The Milford, Connecticut, native was the U.S. starter at the 2014 Olympics and has a Cup ring from 2023 as a backup for the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas beat Florida in that series in 2023, and Quick shared a handshake with Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky when that matchup was over.
Bobrovsky — who led Florida to the Cup in 2024 and 2025 — made sure there was one last handshake line for Quick on Monday night, leading the Panthers over to the Rangers' side of the ice. Quick had already gone down the tunnel after the final buzzer, and Bobrovsky asked some of the Rangers to send word that Florida was waiting to give him an appropriate sendoff.
So, Quick returned and Bobrovsky was the first to embrace him and share a few congratulatory words.
“The guys came in and reminded me to get out there,” Quick said.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Florida didn't want to pay any homage to Quick during the game, so as not to disrupt the goalie's typical routines.
“Sergei had the lead there. He has a better understanding and respect for what Jonathan Quick has done in his career," Maurice said. “Both of them have got a couple of rings. They both get it. I think that’s just wonderful when the players respect the players the way we do.”
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
