This New York Rangers Goalie Continues To Cement His Legacy And Continue This Trend
It's not often that a backup goalie makes headlines as often as the guy in front of him. The New York Rangers backups, however, have a tendency to make that happen - especially in recent years.
From Martin Biron and Cam Talbot to future Hall of Famer Jonathan Quick, second-string net minders who don a Blueshirts uniform have been no strangers to extensive publicity. The triumvirate have all forged legacies of their own, although Quick's resume is clearly the strongest.
Marty Biron Backed Up Two Vezina Winners, But He Sometimes Overshadowed Them
In 46 career games as a Ranger, Martin Biron posted a .908 save percentage and accrued two shutouts. The former first-round pick finished his career with 230 wins. His son, Jacob, is a freshman on West Point's college hockey team.
While with the Sabres, Biron also played second fiddle to 2009-10 Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller, who has more wins than all but one American puck-stopper - Jonathan Quick.
Following the infamous season-cancelling lockout in 2004-2005, Biron remained the Robin to the Batman that was Ryan Miller. For the subsequent two seasons, the Sabres advanced to the Eastern Conference Final, only to fall short.
Since his retirement in October 2013, Biron has since been a studio analyst for the Sabres. He is also the director of goaltending for the Academy of Hockey at the LECOM Harborcenter.
Cam Talbot Played A Pivotal Role For The Rangers, Too. He Was Their Starter For A Stretch, Too.
Cam Talbot has been a journeyman netminder, to say the least. He has been between the goalposts for eight different teams in his 12-year career. His stint with the Rangers was his finest work.
In 57 games as a Ranger, Talbot registered a .931 save percentage, earned eight shutouts, and finished seventh in Vezina voting in 2014-15. That year, the Rangers won the President's Trophy for the first time 1993-1994.
Talbot's role during that season transcended his gaudy numbers. Henrik Lundqvist suffered a rare injury on January 31st of that year, right after taking a puck to the throat.
Lundqvist did not return for two months, but Cam Talbot may as well have been masquerading as The King himself based on his performance.
Upon departing New York via trade, Talbot had an excellent first two seasons with the Oilers. The Caledonia, Ontario native produced a .918 save percentage in 129 games in his initial two years as an Oiler. He also finished fourth in Vezina voting in 2016-2017.
The next eight years, including this current season, saw Talbot drift across several different time zones and cross the border multiple times. This current season with Detroit has been a return to form, as he has stopped pucks at a .927 rate, even at age 37.
Jonathan Quick Continues To Add To His Hall Of Fame Career
It's hard to add to a resume that already includes the most wins among American-born goalies, a Conn Smythe Trophy, Vezina votes in six different seasons, and two Stanley Cups.
It is not surprising that Jonathan Quick has found a way to bolster his list of accomplishments, even while mentoring and backing up Igor Shesterkin.
This season has been no exception for Quick, either. In Sunday night's game against the Seattle Kraken, Quick earned his second shutout of the season already following a 24-save effort. He made several high-danger saves, which preserved a 2-0 Rangers win.
As if that effort were not valiant enough, Quick also extended his shutout streak to 128:05, dating back to a November 7th relief appearance against the Sabres. The 2011-2012 Conn Smythe winner had not posted consecutive shutouts since that very season when he put up three straight blank slates.
Quick Has Been Just As Great Off The Ice, Too
Fan favorite Matt Rempe made himself at home with Quick during the off-season. Rempe trained with Chris Kreider, Quick, and other NHL players.
Quick had endeared himself to Rempe following the spunky youngster's initial call-up in February. He has provided wise tutelage to Igor Shesterkin, and was vocal in the locker room during the playoffs.
Now having served as an elder statesman for the past two seasons, Quick hopes that his locker room presence and on-ice play can finally result in an elusive Stanley Cup championship for the Rangers.
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