Quick talks Olympic announcement

Jonathan Quick discussed being named to the United States Men’s Olympic Hockey team with members of the Los Angeles media on a conference call late Wednesday. The bulk of his quotes are below, with ellipses used in the place of audio difficulties.

On being named to the Olympic roster, and any concerns that his injury would keep him out of the competition:
Obviously I was able to be a part of the team in 2010, so you get that understanding…of what it’s like to represent your country. To have that opportunity again is a great feeling. There are a lot of people in hockey that think enough of you to put you on this roster with these players, and there are obviously some great goalies that would’ve been great options for the team. For them to choose me, even after dealing with this injury and everything, it really says a lot, and it means a lot. You just try not to let anybody down.

On the emotions of finding out he’d be named to the team, and seeing it on television:
I had a pretty good idea going into the day. I spoke with Dean Lombardi the other day, and he kind of informed me what was going to happen. It obviously kind of takes away a little bit of the emotions of the day, but obviously for it to be announced, your family finds out and everything, and you have some friends back home – they text you.

On how much focus he has devoted to the Olympics, compared to rehabilitation and the current season:
You’re focused on other aspects of the season. I have a lot of work to do still before I can play on the team here in Los Angeles, so that’s the focus right now.

On what he gained from his experience in 2010:
I think that was obviously a great learning experience, just being a part of it and being in there for the games and seeing the intensity of the games, and anyone who was a part of it in 2010 not only will it help them here in 2014, but I’m sure also throughout their career – in regular season games, playoff games, anything like that…”

On any difference between the NHL playoffs and the Olympic tournament:
No, pretty same. You’ve got to win. You lose, you lose. You don’t win. You’ve got to win a hockey game. That’s it. Whatever league you’re in, you’ve got to win hockey games.

On whether the single elimination round adds any pressure:
You’ve got to win a game, or you lose a game. One or the other. So, same thing.

On potentially playing against Drew Doughty:
That’ll be interesting, for sure. Obviously we’ve played together for six years now, so…obviously we’re great friends. That’ll definitely make it a little extra special, just because we kind of grew up together in this league and have been through a lot with the Kings. I think it’s really cool, along with Dean and Brownie playing on our side here. There’ll be a few other guys on our roster here that have real good chances of playing for their country, so hopefully we can get as many guys as possible over there. It’s pretty special.

USA Hockey 2014 Olympic Portraits

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