Quotes on Quick

Here are the best parts of the interview I did with coach Karl Taylor, about Jonathan Quick. Taylor coached Quick when Quick played for the Reading Royals of the ECHL last season and was credited by Dean Lombardi for helping Quick improve. Taylor is now the coach of the Kings' ECHL affiliate in Ontario. Here's the interview...

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Question: It must bring you some pride to see Quick playing in the NHL...

TAYLOR: ``It does, but it's all on the kid. He's athletically unbelievable. His athleticism is something I've never seen in a goaltender. He was the first player I've ever had where I looked at him and said, `He's going to make it.' Playing in the East Coast league, it's a long road for prospects, but I knew Jon was going to get an opportunity.''

Question: I understand there were some things you had to help him through, off the ice...

TAYLOR: ``The No. 1 thing for any college kid is learning how to be professional, learning how to show up every day, be on time, be responsible, cook for yourself and just learning how to prepare. Nobody is going to hold your hand. I think one of the best things that happens on the East Coast level is that we house the players together. They're together way more than they would normally be. That helps the guys.''

Question: Jon talked about being a little disappointed to be in the ECHL then. Did he ever show that?

TAYLOR: ``He was not negative in any way. He came to practice and he worked extremely hard. There was no, `I feel sorry for myself.' There was no, `Poor me.' Our team fell in love with him from day one, in large part because of how competitive he was. The guy never wants to get scored on, even in practice. He really makes his teammates love him quickly.''

Question: When you're dealing with prospects in the ECHL, is it hard to keep them focused? Do you have to keep them focused on what they're doing, and not having them worry about how the other prospects are doing?

TAYLOR: ``That's always the issue. `Why am I here and why isn't the other guy?' It's a process. Jon played almost 20 games in a row for us, which is a ton of hockey when you're playing that much. I believe in a lot of communciaton with my players. I tell them exactly what I think, every single day. He had a couple blips there, where he was late. He just had to learn how to be a professional. It wasn't because of something else. He wasn't staying out all night. He was just a heavy sleeper and slept through his alarms. It's a hard lesson to learn. I sat down with him and said, `Let's make ourselves both look great. Let's make you ultra-professonal.' I hooked him up with some veteran players and spent a lot of time talking to him about expectations. He was great, never a problem.''

Finally, Taylor offered up his favorite memory of Quick...

TAYLOR: ``The best game Jon Quick played for us was an 8-6 loss. We had 11 players and (Cincinnati) had 29 Grade-A scoring chances in the game. We had three defensemen and one of them was a forward. Crazy stuff. He kept us right in the game until there were two minutes left and they scored an empty-netter. Jon deserves all the credit he's getting.''