The celebration for the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings stretched all the way to Connecticut, thanks to Kings goalie, Jonathan Quick.
The playoff MVP was born in Milford, lived in Hamden, and played hockey at Avon Old Farms. In fact, the Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake has declared Thursday "Jonathan Quick Day" in Milford.
"Jon has brought great honor and pride to himself, his family as well as his community and hometown of Milford." Blake said.
Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP on Monday night after yielding just 29 goals in the Kings' 20 playoff games on the way to their first title.
Quick allowed a mere seven goals in six games in the finals, capping a breakthrough season for the Vezina Trophy finalist who kept the Kings competitive while they were the NHL's lowest-scoring team for much of the regular season.
"I congratulated him," (Martin) Brodeur said. "I said he deserved the honor of winning the Stanley Cup and being the goalie to win the Stanley Cup. It's always kind of nice for young players to relate. I tried to tell him it was important to enjoy this, because you never know when you're going to get back. I'm 40, and I was able to get back there and not win it. But there's a big (summer) ahead of him, that's for sure."
Quick is severely allergic to praise, and he directed everything back at the teammates who made him a champion. But his playoff performance has marked him as one of the world's best, and the Kings' fans will never forget it.
Sports
"I think it's all about competing," Quick said. "You have to compete, always. That's something this organization preaches, and it makes us all feel so good to be on top now."
Quick then thoroughly dominated the playoffs, posting three shutouts and leading the league in pretty much every statistical category among goalies who started at least four games. He was largely impenetrable in the finals, stopping 125 of 132 shots — and two of New Jersey's seven goals against him deflected off Quick's teammate, Slava Voynov.
Quick is the second straight goalie to win the award, but had better numbers than Boston's Tim Thomas last season.
They might be the best in NHL history.
With a 1.41 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage in the postseason, Quick even set NHL records for goalies who played at least 15 postseason games. Quick's stats slid under Chris Osgood's 1.51 GAA for Detroit in 2008 and Jean-Sebastien Giguere's .945 save percentage for Anaheim in 2003.
"It's outstanding," Quick said. "I couldn't be more proud of this group. We had to fight for everything. Nothing was given to us."
Brodeur allowed just one goal apiece in regulation in four of the six finals games, but couldn't match Quick's numbers. Quick is sometimes compared to the three-time champion, another star puck-stopper who doesn't adhere to one particular school or style.
Quick also had plenty to say to Brodeur.
"I told him the game won't be the same if he retires," Quick said. "It was an honor just playing against him at this stage."
Brodeur could only smile.
"He wanted to make sure I don't retire," he said. "I guess he likes beating me."
