Henrik Lundqvist

At 42 years old, Henrik Lundqvist has this physical status:

Henrik Lundqvist (Swedish pronunciation: [hnk vst]; born 2 March 1982) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He spent his entire 15-season with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was nominated in each of his first three seasons before winning the Vezina Trophy in 2012 and is the first goaltender in NHL history to win more than 11 30-win seasons in his first 12 seasons. He holds the most games won by a European-born goaltender in the NHL. Due to his dominating play during his rookie season, he earned him the nickname "King Henrik" in New York media and Rangers fans. He led the Swedish men's team to their second Olympic gold medal during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Lundqvist played for Frölunda HC in Swedish Elitserien before joining the Rangers. He turned himself into Sweden's best goaltender in three seasons (2003, 2004, and 2005). In 2005, he received two of Sweden's most coveted awards, the Guldpucken (Golden Puck) and the Guldhjämen (Golden Helmet).

Lundqvist was regarded as a butterfly style goaltender, but the butterfly's aggressive way he carried out was unorthodox. He was known for his solid positional play, both mental and physical, as well as his upright torso position.

Early life

Lundqvist and his identical twin brother Joel grew up in Re, Jämtland, where alpine skiing is the most popular winter sport, although Henrik and Joel decided to play ice hockey over the more popular winter sports. Their kindergarten teachers used the 9 m (39.5 ft) sandpit to freeze an outdoor ice rink where the twins would often skate. When Peter and their dad Peter took the twins to see Västra Frölunda HC perform in Scandinavium, Gothenburg, their passion for hockey soared even more. Henrik has said that both Henrik and Joel were very competitive in sports as well as education. Peter worked with Frölunda, Henrik, and Joel attended many games in Scandinavium, where Frölunda became their favorite team. Henrik and Joel joined Järpens IF in 1990 and played organized hockey for the first time. Joel grabbed and raised Henrik's arm as the coach asked if anyone wanted to be a goaltender during one session, and said that his brother would like to be a goaltender. The family moved to Bstad, Skne, southern Sweden, in 1993, to help their older sister Gabriella's tennis career. Henrik and Joel joined Rögle BK's local team in 1995 and were both selected for Scania's regional team in Sverigepucken. In 1996, Henrik was selected to compete for Scania in television-pucken, and in 1997, when Joel was first selected. Henrik and Joel were heavily scouted by Frölunda during the 1997–98 season, and Frölunda's junior team manager and under-16 coach Janne Karlsson contacted Henrik and Joel after traveling home to Bologned, who informed Henrik and Joel of Frölunda's interest in them.

Personal life

Lundqvist married Therese Andersson in the summer of 2011, and the couple have two children together.

Lundqvist, the Rangers' spokesperson, began with the Garden of Dreams Foundation in 2009, which works closely with Madison Square Garden and its tenants to hold charitable activities and grant wishes to sick children, similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Lundqvist is a national service broadcaster who produces and archives public service messages in this role. Lundqvist unveiled the Crown Collection, a clothing collection, on January 19, 2012, in order to support the charity. The Crown Collection items were exclusive to supermarket stores within Madison Square Garden's boundaries.

Henrik Lundqvist Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to health and education for children and families, was established in 2014 by Lundqvist and his partner Therese. HLF is a worldwide grantmaking group with community partners in New York City, Sweden, and Dominican Republic. On September 14th, 2014, the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation held its inaugural fundraising event at Refinery Rooftop. The evening featured a silent auction, a Q&A session hosted by NHL Network's Kevin Weekes, and an acoustic appearance by Henrik Lundqvist and bandmate John McEnroe. Lundqvist was named a finalist for the 2014–15 NHL Foundation Player Award for his lifetime with the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation and the Garden of Dreams Foundation. Lundqvist was selected as an athlete finalist for the first-ever ESPN Humanities of the Year Awards on June 29, 2015, for his dedication to "using the power of sport to transform lives and lift communities."

In 2004, Lundqvist was named "Best Dressed" in Sweden. In April 2006, he was named one of the world's 100 Most Beautiful People. He was named one of Page Six magazine's Top 25 Most Dressed in 2008.

During his time in Frölunda, Lundqvist played guitar in a Swedish rock band called Box Play, and he still plays guitar in his spare time.

Tiny's Restaurant, which is located in Tribeca, is owned by Lundqvist. With former Rangers teammates Sean Avery, who operated his own restaurant in New York City, and other business associates, he participated in this venture.

On July 10, 2013, he hosted Sommar, a 1.5-hour talk show on Swedish public radio.

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Professional career

Lundqvist made his Elitserien debut in the season opener against Brynös IF on September 21, 2000, after a fruitful pre-season. Lundqvist recovered from defeat in the following away game against IF Björklöven, stopping 18 shots and only allowing one goal when being short-handed. Lundqvist scored two early first period goals in a game against Timr IK and was disqualified in favour of veteran goaltender H. Kan Algotsson, his third straight start. Lundqvist will only be playing for ten more games this season, with just one getting off, a shootout loss to the Djurgrdens IF. Lundqvist, an American veteran goaltender who joined the team in October, has lost his spot on the team. Later, Tommy Boustedt, the team's coach at the time, announced this:

Lundqvist appeared in nine games for IF Mölndal Hockey in Sweden's second tier Allsvenskan before joining Frölunda's junior team in the J20 SuperElit in December. In an exhibition game against Canada, he allowed six goals following his poor play in Allsvenskan and a slow start in the J20 SuperElit. Bo "Kulon" Lennartsson and Mikael Tisell, the national junior team's coach, were worried and decided to meet Lundqvist, where they doubted his motivations. Lundqvist's turning point came at the start of the year's 2000 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Moscow, where he led the Swedish national junior team to a fourth-place finish in the tournament. He spent the remainder of the season in the J20 SuperElit, leading the league in minutes played by a goaltender. He led Frölunda to their second straight Anton Cup victory, defeating Leksands IF 5–2 in the final at the Stockholm Globe Arena in the Stockholm Globe Arena.

The Hockey News rated Lundqvist as the sixth-best European prospect in December 2004, the lone goaltender on the European top ten rankings. Lundqvist was also on the list of top goaltender candidates in December, where he ranked seventh in the group.

Lundqvist had four Swedish national records in 2005: lowest goals against average (1.05), highest save percentage (1.962), longest goalless streak (at 172 minutes and 29 seconds), and most shutouts in a season (6). He was also named Best Goaltender, Best Player, and was voted as the league's MVP by fellow players.

He has had a 1.96 goals against average (GAA) and a.927 save percentage in 180 appearances with Frölunda, leading them to four consecutive playoff appearances and winning two titles in 2003 and 2005.

Lundqvist was drafted as a back up to starting goaltender Kevin Weekes at the start of his rookie season in 2005–06. Lundqvist made his much-anticipated NHL debut against the Montreal Canadiens on October 8, 2005, stopping 24 of 27 shots in a 3–2 overtime loss after losing Weekes to injury in the second game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens. Lundqvist made his home debut against the Devils on October 13th, in what was his first NHL victory, a 4–1 triumph.

Following Lundqvist's win over the Atlanta Thrashers, the Rangers' 5–1 victory over the Rangers, Lundqvist, who will be known throughout his NHL career and international play simply as "The King," was the first given nickname by the New York Post Rangers' beating columnist Larry Brooks on October 16, 2005. Larry Brooks wrote the following describing Lundqvist's game: "I'm not surprised."

Lundqvist's first career shutout came against the Florida Panthers on October 17, his fifth NBA game, and after that, he became the first rookie goaltender to record a shutout for the Rangers since John Vanbiesbrouck on January 2nd, 1985. Lundqvist was also the first Rangers rookies to win 20 in a season after Mike Richter had 21 in 1990–91. Lundqvist set a new record of 29 victories, beating Jim Henry (1941-42) and Johnny Bower (1953-54), the first two Western teams to win the season. Lundqvist was one of the top players in various categories, ranking fifth in save percentage (.922), 11th in victories (.922), and tied for 16th in shutouts with two. However, his regular season success did not extend into the playoffs, where he appeared in three playoff games and had a 0-3 record, a 4.40 GAA, and a.835 save percentage in a series loss to the Devils. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the best goaltender in the NHL annually, but he wasn't a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given to the rookie of the year due to a strong crop of first-year players. Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Brad Boyes, Dion Phaneuf, and Andrej Meszáro were among the NHL All-Rookie Team members. He received the 2005-06 MetLife/Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, a New York Rangers team honor.

By the start of his second season with the NHL, Lundqvist had already made a name for himself in the hockey world, among his peers and with Rangers fans, and he was already well-known by the term "King Henrik" or simply "The King."

Lundqvist made his first NHL goaltender face his twin brother Joel on December 14, 2006, against the Dallas Stars. He and his brother are the third pair of twins to play in an NHL match. Lundqvist and the Rangers won the match. Lundqvist, the first Rangers goaltender since Mike Richter in 1997 to record a playoff shutout, was defeated by the Rangers in Game 3 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals over the Atlanta Thrashers by 7–0. The win was also the Rangers' first home playoff victory since Richter's shutout. Lundqvist was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the second year in a row. For the first time in league history, Lundqvist was tied with Miikka Kiprusoff for third place in voting. Lundqvist's contract extension with the Rangers began in the offseason and was worth one-year, US$4.25 million.

Lundqvist signed a six-year, US$41.25 million contract extension with the Rangers on February 13, 2008, averaging $6.875 million per season. On average, he was the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL for the duration of his service. Lundqvist made the first Rangers goaltender to record eight shutouts in a single season since Eddie Giacomin in 1970–71. He won his 30th game of the season on March 6, 2008, his second goaltender and teammate Ron Hextall to have at least 30 victories in each of his first three NHL seasons. In a 1–0 victory over the Boston Bruins on March 9, 2008, Lundqvist became the first Rangers goaltender to record nine shutouts in a season since Eddie Giacomin's 1966-67 season. According to the Professional Hockey Writers' Union, Lundqvist was named the Rangers Most Valuable Player for the fifth straight season (2006–07 to 2010–11). He was the first Rangers player to receive the Rangers MVP award five times in a row.

When Lundqvist and the New York Rangers won the Victoria Cup in 2008, they defeated Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4–3.

Lundqvist was selected to play in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal on January 8, 2009. Lundqvist made his first All-Star appearance in the Elimination Shootout on January 24, 2009. Shane Doan won the championship after stopping 12 of 16 shots in the shootout. He appeared in the second period of the All-Star Game, in which he gave up six goals.

With a victory over the Nashville Predators on March 12, 2009, Lundqvist became the first NHL goaltender to win at least 30 games in his first four seasons. Despite playing just four seasons with the club, the book 100 Rangers Greats ranked Lundqvist at No. 1 in September 2009. More than 900 players with the New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons have reached their all-time record.

After defeating the New Jersey Devils in a shootout on March 25, 2010, Lundqvist became the first NHL goaltender to win at least 30 games in his first five seasons.

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina, named Lundqvist and teammate Marc Staal on January 2011. Both players were chosen by Staal's older brother Eric, who was one of the tournament's captains. Lundqvist played in the third period of the All-Star game on January 30, 2011, stopping 11 of 14 shots. This was his second appearance on All-Stars. He also became the first goaltender to face and stop penalty shot in the NHL All-Star Game's 57-year history (the Colorado Avaluche's Matt Duchene attempted a penalty shot). In a 4–3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden on February 17, 2011, Lundqvist scored his 200th NHL victory. In a 6–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens, Lundqvist became the first NHL goaltender to win at least 30 games in his first six seasons.

Lundqvist dominated the Winnipeg Jets 3–0 at Madison Square Garden on January 24, 2012, his 40th shutout in his career. Rangers fans began using the term "linsanity" in connection with Lundqvist's 2013 debut in the Boston Bruins' 3–0 victory over the Boston Bruins, as the Rangers' "Linsanity" was being used to describe basketball player Jeremy Lin's meteoric rise to fame with the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks, who also play at Madison Square Garden, as opposed to the Rangers.

In a 2–0 victory over the New Jersey Devils in New York on February 27, 2012, Lundqvist tied for the first NHL goaltender to win at least 30 games in his first seven seasons.

Lundqvist received the Vezina Trophy at the 2012 NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 20, 2012. Lundqvist participated in "Operation Hat Trick," a charity hockey game held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, raising funds for Hurricane Sandy victims.

Lundqvist defeated Martin Brodeur in shootout victories over the Buffalo Sabres on March 3, 2013, taking the NBA all-time trophy for the first time. Lundqvist won his 268th game on April 3, defeating Eddie Giacomin for his second most wins in Rangers history, behind only Mike Richter. Lundqvist's back-to-back playoff shutouts against the Washington Capitals were recorded on May 13 and 14. However, the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins will knock Lundqvist and the Rangers out in five games.

Lundqvist's contract extension with the Rangers began on December 4, 2013, making Lundqvist the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL with an average annual cap hit of $8.5 million.

Lundqvist defeated Mike Richter by his 302nd victory on March 18, 2014, beating the Ottawa Senators 8–4.

After defeating the New Jersey Devils 2–0 at the Prudential Center on March 22, 2014, Lundqvist reached Hall of Fame goaltender Eddie Giacomin for his 50th regular season shutout to become the Rangers' shutout leader.

Lundqvist won by a 2–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals on May 13th, tying for the fifth time in a row. In Game 6, he shuts down the Montreal Canadiens 1–0 to help the Rangers reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals against the Los Angeles Kings, as Lundqvist tied Mike Richter for the most playoff victories (42) in the process. However, the Rangers would ultimately be defeated by the Kings 4–1. Alec Martinez scored in double overtime on Game 5 to give the Kings their second Stanley Cup title in three years.

Lundqvist's results in the 2014–15 season were also outstanding. However, Lundqvist took a shot at Brad Malone's neck in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes on January 31, 2015. He stayed in net for the game, which the Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 6–2, before finding that a blood vessel in Lundqvist's neck was destroyed and that Lundqvist will be out for five to seven weeks as a result. Despite Lundqvist's absence, Lundqvist's absence, Lundqvist's return to the Rangers would remain the Rangers' starter, with a 4–2 loss to the Boston Bruins on March 28th. Despite missing nearly two months, Lundqvist won for the ninth time in his career, going 5–2–0 after recovering from the injury.

Lundqvist appeared in all 19 Rangers games in the 2015 playoffs and posted a 2.11 GAA and.928 save percentage. Despite the fact that Lundqvist was outstanding in net, the Rangers struggled to produce offensively, particularly in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Lundqvist won his 20th game of the season on January 16, making him the first NHL goaltender to start his career with 11 straight 20-win seasons. Lundqvist was also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and former goaltender Martin Brodeur as the only goaltenders to win in 11 years at any time in their career. Overall, Lundqvist was the 15th NHL netminder to have won at least 20 games in a season 11 times. In a 5–0 win over the St. Louis Blues on November 1, 2016, Lundqvist registered his 60th shutout. In a game against the Colorado Avalanche on December 31, 2016, Lundqvist won for the third time in his career. He beat Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Haek to become Europe's top goaltender leader.

Lundqvist won his 400th game against the Colorado Avalanche on February 11, becoming the 12th player in NHL history to win 400 games. He is also the first European-born goaltender to reach the record, the first to do so in Rangers history, and the fastest in NHL history to do so. Lundqvist won his 20th game of the 2017–18 season on January 16, 2018, becoming the only goaltender in NHL history to win at least 20 games in a row.

Lundqvist became the third goaltender in NHL history to play at least 850 games with one franchise on March 7, 2019. Lundqvist won his fourth game against the Winnipeg Jets on October 3, his sixth goaltender to reach the league, and the second to do so with just one franchise. He made 43 saves in the game, the most by a Rangers goaltender in a season opener, the most since Gump Worsley in 1955. Lundqvist earned his 455th win and swept Curtis Joseph for his fifth spot in all-time victories in NHL history on November 25.

Following the emergence of Rangers goaltenders Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin, it became clear that Lundqvist would be the odd guy out in the 2019-20 season. Lundqvist was bought out of his deal on September 30, 2020, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.

Lundqvist signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Washington Capitals on October 9, 2020. However, Lundqvist announced on December 17th that he would miss the 2020–21 season due to a senescent heartbeat triggered by pericarditis, which necessitated an open-heart surgery that was not performed in January 2021. In late February 2021, Lundqvist returned to practice. Lundqvist announced on April 11 that he did not return to the Capitals lineup until the 2020–21 season.

Lundqvist announced his retirement from professional ice hockey on August 20, 2021. The Rangers also announced on the day that they would suspend number 30 in his honour during the 2021–22 season, which was relegated on January 282022.

Broadcast career

For the 2021-22 season, Lundqvist will be part of MSG Network's Rangers coverage. Lundqvist will be in the studio for about 20 games, as well as host John Giannone and analyst Steve Valiquette. He made his debut on October 15, 2021, the Rangers' home opener against the Dallas Stars. Lundqvist is also an in-house analyst for the NHL on TNT.

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