The New York Rangers have just one more game until the 2025-26 season concludes. In the penultimate game, the Rangers had a bit more incentive to win. Goaltender Jonathan Quick announced the day of that it would be his last, as he would officially retire at the end of the season. That gave the game a bit more emotional stakes, as the Rangers tried to get one more win for the future Hall of Famer.
The Rangers lost 3-2 to the Florida Panthers on Monday night. Quick stopped 13-of-16 shots faced, while the Rangers got two goals on 27 shots. With that, Quick will now enter retirement.
The tributes to Quick continued after the game. Rangers alternate captain Vincent Trocheck was overcome with emotion after the game, and spoke glowingly of not only the player, but also the teammate.
Vincent Trocheck on Jonathan Quick:
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) April 14, 2026
"He's as good a teammate as you can find. There's an infinite amount of positive things you can say about him. He's the best teammate, unbelievable guy. He's the definition of a glue guy. He's a hall of famer" pic.twitter.com/INRkaMDwSs
"He's as good a teammate as you can find," said Trocheck. "I've been thinking about it for a little bit now after finding out that this was going to be his last year...There's an infinite amount of positive things you can say about him. When you have a career as long as his, you come across hundreds of different teammates. Before being lucky enough to play with him a few years ago, you talk to guys that he's played with and every single one of them says the same thing. He's the best teammate, unbelievable guy. He's always trying to set things up to bring the guys together. He is the definition of a glue guy."
Vincent Trocheck pays tribute to Jonathan Quick after goaltender's retirement
After this Rangers season, there is expected to be plenty of turnover. The Rangers already started by trading away Artemi Panarin, Carson Soucy, and Sam Carrick by the trade deadline. Now, Quick is calling it a career.
The Rangers have had luck with finding quality backup goaltending in recent years. Quick was no exception. It was a career resurgence for Quick, as he was seemingly on his way out of the league in his final year with the Kings. But when joining the Rangers in 2023, he was a reliable option behind Igor Shesterkin.
It's not an easy transition for a once surefire starter being relegated to backup duties late in his career. Even for Rangers fans, it had to feel weird to see the Quick as their backup goalie, considering he played a huge role in the team's heartbreaking loss in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. But Trocheck said that even with this transition, Quick was still as passionate and invested as ever.
"He is a Hall of Famer. Three Cups. He was the starter in LA for 17 years and he comes here and he's the back up to Shesty and it doesn't change a thing," said Trocheck. "He's still the greatest guy. He's so excited to be at the rink, and the guys are excited to come to the rink to be with him. You can't say enough good things about him, and he's the kind of guy that you need on a team in order to have success."
In the 2023-24 season, his first as backup to Shesterkin, Quick posted a .911 save percentage, a 2.62 goals allowed percentage, an 18-6-2 record in 27 games. The following year, Quick put up a .893 save percentage, a 3.17 goals allowed average, and a 11-7-2 record. Following his last start of his career, Quick has a .891 save percentage, a 3.09 goals allowed average, and a 6-17-2 record to his credit.
Quick will go down as one of the top goaltenders of this century. He was at the top of his game with the Kings, and became a quality backup goalie with the Rangers. The next stop will undoubtedly be in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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