FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jonathan Quick has never been the attention-seeking type, so how did he inform his New York Rangers teammates of his decision to retire at the end of the 2025-26 season?
“They found out from my wife,” he said with a wide smile following Monday’s morning skate at the Baptist Health IcePlex. “She’s not good at keeping secrets.”
Quick let the rest of the hockey world know in advance of Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers, which will be the final appearance of a career that merits serious Hockey Hall of Fame consideration.
“Tonight will be my last game in the league,” the 40-year-old goalie said after summoning reporters as he came off the ice. “I didn’t really want to fully admit it. It’s kind of a feeling thing. I understand where my kids are at and stuff like that and how much I’d like to be around for some more of their stuff. You get asked — whether it’s you guys asking, there’s teammates asking, friends asking over the past few months. It’s naturally going to put a little bit of thought into it. But when I knew what the decision was going to be, it felt right. It felt like the right time. And obviously it wasn’t just one night thinking about it. It was over the course of the season.”
A three-time Stanley Cup champion, including two as the driving force behind the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014, Quick will end his 19-year career 12th on the NHL’s all-time wins list and first among U.S.-born netminders.
Fifteen and a half of those seasons came with the Kings, where Quick was a six-time all-star who finished top five in Vezina Trophy voting three times. He was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, then the Vegas Golden Knights (where he won his third Cup championship as the team’s third goalie) during a turbulent 2022-23 season that raised questions about how much longer he might play, but the Milford, Conn. native signed with the Rangers — the team he grew up rooting for — and revived his career as Igor Shesterkin’s backup the last three seasons.
“Especially since I’ve come to this organization, I knew that any year could have been the last one,” Quick said. “So I try to every day come in and enjoy it. Throughout the ups and downs, just bring a good attitude and work ethic and show up and try to help this team win some hockey games whenever my number was called.”
He also embraced his role as a mentor, functioning as a beloved figure in a dressing room that’s endured a lot of turnover in recent years. His teammates have been taking time to express their appreciation since Quick’s decision was revealed.
“They’re excited for me,” he said. “The conversations I’ve had, they’re some humbling conversations.”
His wife, Jaclyn, as well as his three children and parents will be in attendance Monday, with Quick anticipating “feeling a little weird at first.”
His intense focus on the task at hand, which has been a pivotal part of his success over the years, has kept him from getting caught up in the emotions of the moment — at least not yet.
“I’m not to that point where I’m really reflecting on all that stuff,” he said.
But Quick is feeling full of gratitude. He thanked teammates, as well as Rangers president Chris Drury and coach Mike Sullivan, for helping navigate these final days, while heaping praise on the quality of the teams he’s played for. Finishing his superb career with the Blueshirts is especially meaningful.
“I know what this team meant to me growing up,” he said. “To be wearing this jersey tonight, it means a lot to me and my family.”