Picture it: Calgary, Alberta, Canada on the evening of June 24th, 2000. The room is filled with young players waiting to hear their name called at the NHL draft and their dreams to become a reality. After hours and hours of picks, the 205th pick overall, a selection by the New York Rangers, was announced. He was a tall and lanky goaltender by the name of Henrik Lundqvist. Little did the hockey world know that this young 18-year-old would become the face of a franchise and a true star.
After a successful career for Frolunda Hockey Club in his hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden, Lundqvist made his NHL debut for the New York Rangers on October 8, 2005, and had twenty-four saves in a 3-2 overtime loss. However, that loss did not frustrate the young goalie and it only pushed him to do better. On October 13 of that same year, Henrik got his first career win.
With his gentle butterfly style in net and his nickname “The King” (given to him by New York Post beat writer Larry Brooks), Henrik became a household name almost immediately. He was easily recognizable to any Rangers fan young and old, and his career as a Blueshirt was one that generations will remember. Lundqvist won the 2011-12 Vezina trophy, given to the league’s best goaltender, helped the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup finals in 2014, passed both Mike Richter and Eddie Giacomin on the team’s all-time wins list. In 2019, he passed Curtis Joseph for fifth all-time in wins by a goaltender.
As time passed, it became evident that he had lost the starting goaltending job to rookie Alexander Georgiev and his playing days would be numbered. Once Russian phenom Igor Shesterkin came along, the Rangers decided to buy out the last year of Lundqvist’s contract. On October 9, 2020, he signed a one-year, $2 million deal to play for the Washington Capitals. Unfortunately, he was unable to play due to a heart condition that caused an irregular heartbeat and he was deemed unable to suit up. In late August 2021, the 39-year-old held a press conference in his native country Sweden and announced he would officially be retiring from hockey. The Rangers announced later that day that they will retire his number “30” at a home game in the 2021-22 season.
No matter who you root for, it was almost impossible to hate Henrik Lundqvist. He respected his teammates and fans, the opponents and their fans, journalists and reporters alike. Lundqvist etched himself into the list of New York’s most incredible athletes like Derek Jeter and Patrick Ewing. Interviewing Henrik twice in my career was something I will never forget and his kindness, care, and true respect for anyone proves what an incredible human he is. Hockey will not be the same without him in a jersey, but we were all lucky to have witnessed greatness. Best of luck Henrik, you earned it!
