Save By ... Quinnen? Jets Star Reveals Hockey Dream
If Quinnen Williams repped a different brand of Jet, namely those of the Winnipeg variety, he'd still envision himself keeping points off the board.
Williams is one of several New York Jets who caught hockey fever over the weekend, as he was part of the green contingent that took in the NHL's descent upon MetLife Stadium. Appearing on NHL Network before the Sunday faceoff between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers, Williams revealed that, if he ever traded cleats for skates, he'd follow in the footsteps of metropolitan All-Stars Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin.
“I would be the goalie,” Williams declared. “You get to really be the showstopper on defense and you get to wear more pads and uniform than everybody else, so you get to stay warm.”
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Metropolitan hockey has certainly been blessed with its share of goaltending legends: the Islanders and Rangers' nets have been filled by stars of the game such as Henrik Lundqvist, Mike Richter, and Billy Smith, while the New Jersey Devils, who once played their games at the abandoned Meadowlands Arena a stone's throw away from Metlife, were repped by Martin Brodeur, the NHL's all-time leader in goalie victories.
Williams is well-entrenched in the future of the Jets: the third overall pick of the 2019 draft is fresh off back-to-back Pro Bowl invites and was bestowed a four-year, $96 million contract extension last summer. If, for some reason, things don't work out on the turf, Williams appears to have a backup plan on the ice ready to roll, as the "super physical" nature of hockey stands out to him.
“It’s super physical, man. You go faster on the ice," Williams noted. "I’ve seen guys get hit into the plastic walls, seen guys fight, seen guys get knocked on the ground, different things like that. We fall on turf and grass. They fall on ice, so it’s super physical.”
The Devils and Rangers each prevailed on the temporary ice laid out in East Rutherford: New Jersey took a 6-2 decision from the rival Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night while Williams and several other Jets saw the Rangers earned a 6-5 overtime victory over the Islanders less than 24 hours later.
