LOS ANGELES — Every now and then, goaltender Jonathan Quick would flash his glove or kick out his leg or repel an intruding opponent from his crease with a feisty shove and it would feel like the Kings' best years all over again.
Yet those moments had become all too rare the last few seasons for Quick, who was the most valuable player in the Kings' surprise 2012 Stanley Cup playoff run and was up to the challenge of working even harder to help them win a second championship over a grueling 26 postseason games in 2014.
No athlete has defeated time and the indignities the passing years bring — the slower reflexes and longer recovery periods, the eager, young challengers who had your poster on their bedroom wall or grew up watching videos of your technique.
