Quick on the draw Goalie's unique skill set leads Kings into Western Conference final

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Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / MCT archives Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick plays wide and low in the net, exploiting his incredible athleticism. (TRIBUNE MEDIA MCT)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Jonathan Quick's lateral movement is undeniably impressive. Just ask the reporters and team employees who approached his locker for an interview earlier this week, only to watch the Los Angeles Kings' all-star goalie quickly pivot and back out of the room with remarkable agility.

Quick returned a moment later, of course. He's neither shy nor unpleasant to anybody around the Kings, but the quiet Connecticut native is fully focused on extending a surprising playoff run by a team with an unlikely star in net.

"It's fun to still be playing hockey this time of year," Quick said. "I think this is the deepest I've ever gone into the spring, so it's great. We want to keep going."

After keeping one of the NHL's lowest-scoring teams in the playoff hunt almost by himself for long stretches of Los Angeles' regular season, Quick has allowed only 14 goals in nine playoff games against the Western Conference's top two teams, backstopping the eighth-seeded Kings into the conference finals against Phoenix. Except for Vancouver's Cory Schneider, who only played three games, he leads all playoff goalies with a 1.31 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage.

Although Quick's funky, flexible, low-to-the-ice style is often thrilling to watch, his teammates cite his rigorous work ethic and determination as the reason he rose from a third-round draft pick playing in the ECHL to a starring role for a Stanley Cup contender, bypassing bigger prospects and outlasting veterans along the way.

"What's special about him is his desire, his never-give-up attitude," Kings forward Justin Williams said. "Even in practice, when you feel like you have an empty net, he's always striving to stop that puck. It's just what he loves to do. I love it when you come out and score on a goalie in practice and he says something derogatory to you. It means he wants to stop everything. That's a great attitude, and he certainly has that."

Quick is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after finishing the regular season with 35 wins, a 1.95 goals-against average, a .929 save percentage and a franchise-record 10 shutouts. His profile will only grow next week when hockey fans get an in-depth look at his puck-stopping skills -- a hybrid of aggression, anticipation and pure hustle that doesn't conform to any particular school of goaltending.

He rose gradually through the Los Angeles organization after two seasons at UMass, making stops in the ECHL and AHL. But ever since he took over the starting job midway through the 2008-09 season, Quick has been a welcome revelation for Kings fans.

The franchise suffered through plenty of middling goaltending from a long line of netminders during Los Angeles' eight-year absence from the playoffs between 2002 and 2010. He moved past Coyotes backup Jason LaBarbera, who was traded to clear the way for Quick, and current Kings backup Jonathan Bernier, general manager Dean Lombardi's first-round pick in 2006 -- just one year after the prior administration chose Quick.

While many modern goalies are big men who prefer seeing over the defence and using the butterfly to cover the bottom of the net, Quick plays wider and lower, exploiting his impressive athleticism. When he's on his game, he's often crouched with his upper body nearly parallel to the ice, peering between the skaters' legs for the puck.

Everyone from Blues coach Ken Hitchcock to celebrated Canadian commentator Don Cherry have compared Quick in recent weeks to Terry Sawchuk, the Red Wings Hall of Famer who played for the Kings in their inaugural NHL season in 1967-68. Others see shades of Martin Brodeur and Tim Thomas, two veteran scramblers who don't stick to the popular butterfly template.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 10, 2012 C2