NHL Network has ranked the Top 40 goaltenders of all time. The list is already catching flak from a number of sources, primarily because it’s putting some active goaltenders at lofty positions, ahead of some legends of the game. And, as always, the debate is circling around Jonathan Quick.
Why? See for yourself. Quick comes in at #16 on the list.
One spot ahead of Henrik, eight spots ahead of Price, nine spots ahead of Rogie, and ahead of guys like Gump Worsley, Billy Smith, and Ron Hextall. This made folks angry, and I think that’s great, because my favorite part of rooting for Jonathan Quick is watching people get angry when he earns praise.
Is he really the 16th-best goaltender of all time? Of course not! If he’d put together a few more seasons like 2011-12, he’d be getting there. He hasn’t. But a Jennings, two Cups and a Conn Smythe (he and Cam Ward are the only active goalies with Smythes) help your reputation. There’s clearly playoff weight on this list, as Marc-Andre Fleury and Corey Crawford are both way higher than they should be as well. Plus, we’ve seen this season that, even if Peter Budaj has filled in admirably, Quick isn’t as replaceable as a lot of people insist he is.
So, there you have it. According to NHL Network, it really is 11 years in total of our goaltender being better than yours. At least we finally settled that debate.