Sports

Quick spent the lockout recovering from surgery to repair a disc fragment and an inflammatory cyst. He only received medical clearance on Monday. "It's the best I've felt probably since last February," said Quick. "There's no pain, and I get to just play." Quick obviously didn't play during the work stoppage, but the Kings' Stanley Cup-winning run extended into mid-June. They might have gone into an early season slump due to Quick's injury and fatigue had the season started on time, so the lockout might have actually improved their chances of defending their championship.