Team USA Names Starting Goalie

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

After much hemming and hawing, Dan Bylsma finally selected a goalie to start against Slovakia tomorrow.

Jonathan Quick to start in goal for U.S. tomorrow against Slovakia. #teamusa #usah

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 12, 2014

Jonathan Quick was the third string goalie in 2010 and did not see any ice time as Ryan Miller played pretty much every game. After practice, Quick told reporters how he found out he was going to be the starter.

“It was pretty casual,” Quick said. “We were on the ice stretching and he just came over and said it. We have three great goalies on this team and everyone wants to start. I’m just fortunate for the opportunity and want to make the best of it.”

After the announcement, Twitter exploded as only the way social media can do with a seemingly vast array of people complaining about the decision to play Quick over Miller. If you wish to entertain yourself, The Royal Half retweeted a bunch of the people who freaked out and took to the Internet to voice their concerns.

On paper, Miller is clearly the better goalie with a .923 sv% and 2.74 goals against average while Quick has a .909 sv% and 2.22 GAA. Miller is also playing for last place Buffalo, while the Kings are still in the top 10 in the NHL. However, since returning from a groin injury that kept him out for 7 weeks, Quick has been excellent in net for the Kings, despite their inability to put the puck in the net.

While Bylsma did indicate that it was Quick’s recent pedigree (carrying his team into the playoffs and then backstopping them all the way to a Stanley Cup with a record breaking 3 shutouts and less than 2.00 GAA in 2012 and nearly carrying them to the Stanley Cup Final a year later), he also “stressed Wednesday his decision is only for the game against Slovakia. He has not made a commitment to stick with Quick and does not know at this point if Miller will see time in the preliminary round” according to Shawn Roarke, senior managing editor of NHL.com.

In the meantime, Miller will back up Quick and just be ready to play whenever he gets the call.