Jonathan Quick is quite familiar with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
The Kings All-Star netminder squared off with the Blackhawks' dynamic duo in back-to-back Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014, both teams getting past each other en route to a Stanley Cup victory — Blackhawks in 2013, Kings in 2014.
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But it doesn't make them any easier to defend.
Quick wrote a nice piece for the Players' Tribune evaluating the elite snipers in the NHL, and provided a detailed analysis on what makes Toews and Kane so dangerous.
Read it below:
I’m cheating again with his duo. It’s not a coincidence these guys are in the Conference Finals or Stanley Cup Finals seemingly every year. Unlike Getzlaf and Perry, these guys do very different things, but they complement one another perfectly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two guys play with more confidence in themselves. They just seem to have an unwavering belief that they’ll find a way to win.
Let’s start with Kane. Even though he’s a smaller guy, he has a top-tier release and I think he’s actually a little bit underrated in terms of his hockey intelligence. He’s one of the best in the NHL at seeing the ice and reading defenders. A lot of guys with his natural skill level would maybe coast and wait for their chances, but Kane is constantly scanning the ice and processing where the play is going, and where he can pop into open space for a good opportunity. And, of course, his hands are ridiculous. Kane’s stickhandling quickness is probably the best in the NHL. Almost every game, he makes a defenseman look silly by catching them cheating on the pokecheck, then he goes right through their tripod (between the stick and legs) with the dangle.
When a guy like Kane is on the ice, you immediately take notice as a goalie. He’s on your radar constantly as the play is unfolding. But add in Toews to the mix and it’s a totally different level. The thing with Toews is that he is constantly moving, constantly working, and possesses an unholy ability to know where the puck is going before it even happens. He’s like a psychic out there. I hate to use words like “intangibles,” but it’s very difficult to describe how Toews is always able to find himself in the right place at the right time, especially in big moments.
If Anaheim is hard minutes physically, Chicago is hard minutes mentally. You have to constantly be tracking the movements of Kane and Toews because you’re paranoid that Kane is going to float back door and Toews is going to know he’s there without even looking up. And I think that’s why hockey is such an interesting game to break down. Most people think of hockey as this brutal game (and it definitely can feel that way when you get hit with a Shea Weber slap shot below the belt) but it’s really a mental game more than anything. Chicago has won three of the last six Stanley Cups. Kane and Toews aren’t the biggest guys in the world, but they’re incredibly intelligent, mentally tough and have amazing intuition when playing together.
Man, I want to beat them so bad. Let’s get this season started already (sorry, honey).