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Kings’ Quick has solution to increase scoring: reduce size of goalies’ gear

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There is an easy solution and a far more difficult pathway to try to boost scoring in the NHL, which was part of a discussion that took place Tuesday during the league’s general managers meetings in Toronto.

As far as Jonathan Quick is concerned — to use a song lyric — “There ain’t no easy way out.” The Kings goaltender rejected the idea of increasing the size of the net as “ridiculous,” and suggested first reducing the size of the goaltender’s equipment.

“The easy way is, like all right, let’s just make the nets bigger because it’s just saying, ‘We don’t give a crap to try to actually do it the right way and put as many people on the payroll to get it down the right way,’” Quick said. “So that’s the easy way. Make the net bigger and let the goalies do whatever they want.”

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Quick was well-versed and outspoken when he addressed the issue after practice Wednesday and admitted it has been on his mind after talking to colleagues. The league plans to readdress the topic in March.

“If you look around the league and you look at goalies — in their street clothes and then with their gear on — the difference in size, it’s a little too much,” Quick said. “So I’m on board with that…. The biggest difficulty with gear is body size and body type. It’s so hard to get a standard on who can wear what and what size everyone is…. Once guys get gear, some guys make changes and try to make adjustments to make it look a little bigger.”

Another problem is there is only one sheriff in town, or at the arena, Quick contended. That would be former goalie Kay Whitmore, the league’s senior manager of hockey operations who reviews equipment. Quick guessed his equipment has been checked about once a season, at the rink.

“Kay [has] to be able to try to make his rounds and he has to be at the offices, approving the gear that’s getting shipped out,” Quick said. “There’s some guys that get new gear once a month. You’ve got a lot of gear coming through his office that he has to try to approve and make sure it meets regulations.

“In my opinion, it’s too much work for one guy to do. Nothing against Kay. He works hard. He’s doing everything he can. He’s fighting an uphill battle.”

Quick couldn’t recall any fines getting handed out.

“I don’t think since I’ve been in the league, there’s been [any] fines on goalie equipment and sizing, when, there’s for sure, I don’t want to say cheating, but there’s been some trying to supplement their gear a little bit,” he said. “That happens around the league, there’s no question about that.

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“But to put one guy in charge of all that, it’s too much on his plate. So you’re not getting anywhere.”

KINGS NEXT UP

VS. N.Y. ISLANDERS

When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

On the air: TV: Fox Sports West. Radio: 790.

Etc.: The Kings are 15 games into the season and they have used nine defensemen already. Kings Coach Darryl Sutter made a reference to some of the struggles on the back end in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Arizona. “You can’t be in and out, can’t be making plays or decisions that are losing games for you,” Sutter said.

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

Twitter: @reallisa

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