FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. \u2014 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?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found out from my wife,\u201d he said with a wide smile following Monday\u2019s morning skate at the Baptist Health IcePlex. \u201cShe\u2019s not good at keeping secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quick let the rest of the hockey world know in advance of Monday\u2019s game against the Florida Panthers, which will be the final appearance of a career that merits serious Hockey Hall of Fame consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight will be my last game in the league,\u201d the 40-year-old goalie said after summoning reporters as he came off the ice. \u201cI didn\u2019t really want to fully admit it. It\u2019s kind of a feeling thing. I understand where my kids are at and stuff like that and how much I\u2019d like to be around for some more of their stuff. You get asked \u2014 whether it\u2019s you guys asking, there\u2019s teammates asking, friends asking over the past few months. It\u2019s 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\u2019t just one night thinking about it. It was over the course of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s all-time wins list and first among U.S.-born netminders.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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 \u2014 the team he grew up rooting for \u2014 and revived his career as Igor Shesterkin\u2019s backup the last three seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially since I\u2019ve come to this organization, I knew that any year could have been the last one,\u201d Quick said. \u201cSo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n