Jonathan Quick benefitting from 'simple' approach of Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire
Ask around NHL circles about the league's best goaltending coaches and it won't take long for Benoit Allaire's name to come up.
He's as well-respected as they come and widely lauded for his tremendously successful 20-year run with the Rangers. The headliner from his time in New York is Henrik Lundqvist, who made a point of shouting Allaire out as "the best coach and best friend you could ask for" in his Nov. 13 Hockey Hall of Fame speech. His pupils also include 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, along with a long list of backups who credit the 61-year-old with elevating their game.
The most recent example is Jonathan Quick, a 37-year-old who is experiencing a career revival in his first season under Allaire.
"I had heard great things coming in, but never personally had I worked with him or met him," Quick said following Friday's practice at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown. "It’s been a lot of fun to see how great of a coach and person he is."
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Allaire's reputation as a goalie whisperer precedes him, but exactly what makes him so good at his job remains somewhat mysterious.
The St. Janvier, Quebec native is as friendly as can be around the rink, but he prefers to stay out of the spotlight. He's content to let the players receive the praise while he rolls up his sleeves behind the scenes.
That's added to the curiosity about his efficacious methods, which Quick has learned are more straightforward than some might think.
"A lot of goalies approach it a little bit differently, but at the end of the day, you're just trying to stop the puck," he said. "What Benny's done for me is just kind of help simplify the game and not overthink situations. Just kind of use your natural ability to stop that puck."
A career crossroads
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings who was long considered one of the top netminders in the league, Quick has been humbled in the latter portion of his memorable career.
"The last probably four years in L.A. didn't go the way that I was hoping," he admitted.
The low point came last season, when he posted a lowly .876 save percentage in 31 appearances with the Kings before being traded twice. His career appeared to be on life support, with the Milford, Conn. native signing a modest one-year, $825,000 deal with the Rangers over the summer, perhaps his final effort to get things right.
Those struggles led him to "over work and over play," as Quick put it, with the necessary fixes more mental than technical. That's where Allaire's calming influence has come into play and helped settle him down.
"There are nights that aren't going to go your way, and he's a great person to have in your corner as far as just kind of moving on," he said. "I haven't seen him come in in a bad mood yet. He's just a positive person and a positive presence, especially for a goalie when you’ve got a lot you're thinking about going into a game and over the course of the game and after a game. You have a lot you're trying to digest and address and parts you want to improve on, but he just keeps it simple."
That's led to drastic improvement, with Quick avoiding a regulation loss through his first eight starts with the Rangers.
In nine total appearances, he's gone 7-0-1 with two shutouts, a .918 SV%, 2.34 goals against average and 0.912 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes, which ranks third among goalies who have appeared in at least five games, according to moneypuck.com.
Less is more
The less-is-more approach has earned him tougher assignments, with head coach Peter Laviolette notably entrusting the wily veteran in the Nov. 25 showdown with the Boston Bruins that determined the NHL's best record.
"Benny talks more specifically about this, but he seems like he's always in position to me. He seems focused," Laviolette said. "It's not real acrobatic. It’s just, he's in the right place, he’s seeing things well. He's made big saves and had big games for us, but the positioning for me has been really good."
That focus has also been evident in his preparation.
"I love the way he competes in practice," Laviolette said. "I think that's just part of his DNA and has been his whole career. It’s why he's had the career that he's had. And, so, that sets a great tone in practice for everybody. You see a guy coming in here that works that hard – and Shesty is the same way. When your goaltenders are hardworking like they are and want to get better, everybody else has got that fall-in-line mentality."
The change of scenery came just in the nick of time, with Quick noting "it's been a great fit for me personally." The hot start has him sitting nine away from Ryan Miller's record for most wins by an American-born goalie (391), but he's not fully buying into the redemption story quite yet.
He's allowed four goals or more in each of his last two starts, including Sunday's 6-5 win over the San Jose Sharks. He's guarding against complacency while leaning on the help of one of the best in the business.
"We're not at a point in the year where you can be happy or upset about your game," he said. "We still have so much hockey to play. It's definitely a position where, no matter how the first two months went, it's about what you could do today and then what you could do tomorrow. You go with it one day at a time. It's a long season. You mentioned the numbers. Those don't really tell the full story all the time, especially for goalie. It's more about the process. So, we're going to continue to work."
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Jonathan Quick bonding with Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire
