Jonathan Quick wore the crown, played goal like The King of New York, The King of Kings, shut out the Rangers 3-0, shut up the Garden.
R.I.P: Rest In Puck, New York Rangers.
Only once has a Miracle on Ice fairy tale happened in the NHL finals — when the Maple Leafs stormed back from an 0-3 series hole to beat the Red Wings.
So Rangers fans who no longer have to endure those “19-40” chants might want to try one of their own: “19-42 . . . 19-42 . . . 19-42.”
Broadway Blues indeed.
“You make one save, and then you try to make the next,” Quick said.
Quick grew up in Hamden, Conn., a Rangers fan (ouch). He played at the Garden as a 12-year-old in peewees.
“We did a shootout in between periods,” Quick said, and then added with a wry smile: “To all you guys I said I never played here, I did play here.”
The Kings wouldn’t trade Quick for anyone, Henrik Lundqvist included.
“I think that was his best game of the playoffs,” said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. “He made some big saves, saves he had no business making. His rebound control was good, his puck-handling was good — everything about his game tonight was great.”
He closes seemingly open nets with his … Quickness.
“He has a different style than all the other goalies in the league — he’s just quick, and he gets post-to-post faster than any goalie in the whole entire league,” Doughty said.
A somber Alain Vigneault was greeted with this question at the podium:
“Coach, you outshot them 2-1. What went wrong?”
“Couldn’t score,” Vigneault said.
Couldn’t score because Quick (32 saves) wouldn’t let them score.
“He was obviously the best player on the ice tonight,” Vigneault said.
He was at his best when he somehow denied Mats Zuccarello with a Quick’s cat-Quick, sprawling stick save in the first period.
“I think one of our defensemen was there too, I don’t know if it took a weird hop, or if it hit one of our sticks, I forget, it’s kind of a scramble, and you’re just reaching, so I don’t know,” Quick said.
The Rangers rained 13 consecutive shots at him in the second period.
Stoned Rangers.
“When he’s on top of his game, which he is most of the time,” Mike Richards said, “I think that allows us to make plays with confidence, and if something happens, he’s back there to save us.”
Justin Williams was asked how he would sum up his goaltender on this night.
“Unbeatable?” Williams said. “How’s that?”
Perfect.
“He’s been making key saves at key times, and tonight he was, I think, the reason we won the game, quite honestly,” Jeff Carter said. “His numbers are deceiving because he’s been making saves every series, every game that change the momentum of the game.”
The acrobatic Quick helped take the power out of the Rangers’ power play.
“The power play’s not just about making saves, it’s about being in the right position so that they don’t shoot,” Williams said, “and he was in the right position on them all night.”
It’s only fair to wonder whether Quick’s fire is fueled by his duel with King Henrik, arguably the best goaltender in the league.
“I don’t think so at all,” Williams said. “Quickie knows who he is. I think he’s the best goaltender in the league. He doesn’t have to answer to anybody.”