Jonathan Quick didn’t play Thursday when the New York Rangers lost 3-2 to the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome. But he still made an impact with a classy postgame move.
It’s known that Quick was the boyhood idol of Flames rookie goalie Dustin Wolf, and that Wolf was hoping to square off Thursday against the Rangers veteran. Instead, Wolf got the better of Igor Shesterkin in his first career start against the Rangers, and Quick watched from the bench.
But after the game, Quick sent an autographed stick to Wolf, with the classy message, “Dustin, Look forward to watching your career. Best of luck! Jonathan Quick.”
Wolf, who had 27 saves Thursday, proudly posed with the stick in the Flames postgame locker room.
“I caught myself looking over (at Quick) a couple of times. That’s a guy I’ve watched growing up for so, so many years. I would’ve loved to seen him between the pipes down at the other end, but tip your hat to the other guy, he was outstanding,” Wolf said on the Flames postgame show.
The 23-year-old, who grew up in California and was a big Los Angeles Kings and Quick fan, was referring to Shesterkin there at the end of his comments. That “other guy” stopped 46 of 49 shots, including 19 of 20 in the first period for New York.
“It’s fun to go out there and battle, and [Shesterkin] is certainly one of the best in the game,” Wolf said. “It’s fun as a goaltender watching him, he makes everything look so easy.”
Similar comments can be made about Wolf. He’s 8-2-1 in 11 starts, and leads NHL rookie goalies in wins, goals-against average (2.33), save percentage (.926) and shutouts (1). The win Thursday was his fourth straight, and he’s allowed four goals in that span. Wolf is 5-0-1 in his past six starts with 10 goals against.
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Wolf told the Flames team web site earlier in the week that he met Quick once years ago and got his autograph at that time.
“I think it was my birthday,” Wolf recalled. “I don’t know how old I was, but my agent brought me to a game, we sat in his box. After the game, we went down, I had his jersey and he was able to sign it for me.
“He’s the guy I grew up watching very closely, to be able to have some sort of interaction with him was pretty neat.”
Like his idol, Wolf is a talented United States-born goalie. Twice he won AHL goalie of the year honors and Wolf also was AHL MVP in 2022-23. So, his early NHL success is not a big surprise.
But he’s got a ways to go to match up with Quick, who’s won the Stanley Cup three times, including 2012 when he also was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP and 2014 when he led the Kings past the Rangers in five games in the Stanley Cup Final.
Then there’s that Quick is the all-time winningest NHL goalie born in the United States with 397 victories. The 38-year-old is also three away from becoming the 15th goalie in League history with 400 wins.
“He’s won the most games ever as an American goalie,” Wolf said. “It’s been very cool to watch from afar for so many years, now it’s even cooler to be in the same arena, same ice, and in a similar situation as him.”
