Quick on Tavares: "One of the most tenacious guys I’ve ever played against"

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick wrote a second volume of his thoughts on the NHL's elite snipers for The Players Tribune, and after "missing" the first cut (basically by not playing the Western Conference or being Sidney Crosby), Islanders captain John Tavares is praised by Quick for his talent, intelligence and tenacity.

Quick compares Tavares to Crosby and says that by not shying away from the front of net, Tavares is able to score goals in a variety of eye-popping, defender-ditching ways. Using Tavares' overtime winner against Toronto as one example, Quick explains that it's raw strength and a high IQ that makes Tavares so difficult to stop.

This combines everything that makes him great. You have the work he puts in in the weight room in the summertime to have the strength to shrug off defenders and maintain balance after 60-plus minutes of hockey, plus you have the hockey IQ to map out how to get past three defenders. Before he takes on the second defenseman at goal line, he's thinking two steps ahead. His deke is one smooth motion that let's him get to the front of the net. Watch the clip again. How many full strides does he take from the time he beats the first defenseman to the time he scores? One.

Man, I wanna chill with Jon Quick and watch this on a loop all day.

Steven Stamkos, Max Pacioretty and Quick's teammate Anze Kopitar also make the goalie's second line-up. It's not clear how many volumes have to happen before Quick puts his own brother-in-law on the list, but I hope for the sake of their Labor Day barbecue that it's soon.