king henrik reigned supreme during a long run of broadway success, forever earning his place in the lore of the new york rangers when his number was retired. 30 on Jan on January 28, 2021, making him the 11th player in history to have his number hung from the rafters in Madison Square’s outfield.
A stellar player for more than a decade with the New York Rangers, the goalkeeper from Are, Sweden, has been one of the greatest players of his generation and is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. Since he came to the NHL in 2005-06, Lundqvist has won the Veceina Trophy and led the NHL in wins, as well as helping Sweden win gold at the 2006 Torino Olympics.
Rangers selected Lundqvist in the seventh round (No. 205) in the 2000 NHL draft while he was playing for Frolunda in the Swedish Junior League. For the next five years, Lundqvist was Sweden’s best goalkeeper, winning the Honken Trophy, the equivalent of the Vezina Trophy, three times in a row, between 2003 and 2005.
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In 2004–05, Lundqvist set records in the Swedish hockey league for lowest playoff goals-against average (1.05), highest save percentage (0.962), most shutouts in a single season (six) and the longest shutout streak (172:29). he was named the winner of guldpucken as league mvp and the winner of guldhjalmen as the players’ choice for mvp. In the postseason, Lundqvist helped lead Frolunda to a league championship going 12-2 with a GAA of 1.05. lundqvist also won a championship with frolunda in 2002-03.
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Lundqvist debuted with the Rangers in 2005-06 and finished as a Vecina Trophy finalist while earning nhl rookie team honors. he made his nhl debut in october. on January 8, 2005 in an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils, and earned his first NHL victory against New Jersey five days later. His first NHL shutout came in October. on January 17, 2005, when he made 23 saves in a 4-0 win against the Florida Panthers.
He finished his first season with 30 wins, setting a record for wins by a Rangers rookie. Lundqvist also finished fourth in the league with a .922 save percentage and fifth in goals against (2.24).
That season set the tone for Lundqvist’s reign in New York; She was a time finalist in each of her first three seasons in the NHL and finished in the top six in voting in each of her first 10 seasons.
lundqvist won the vezina trophy in 2011-12 and finished third in the hart trophy voting as the league’s most valuable player after going 39-18-5 with a 1.97 gaa and a .930 save percentage , earning him NHL first-team star honors for the first time. he led the league in wins with 24 in the abbreviated 48-game season in 2012-13.
lundqvist holds nearly every goalkeeping record in Rangers history, including wins, shutouts, playoff wins, and games played. he too has excelled under pressure. Lundqvist set an NHL record by winning six straight Game 7s, a streak that broke the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. He set an Olympic record for the longest shutout streak (172:34) among the 2006 and 2010 games.
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Lundqvist, who plays guitar and is known for participating in charity events with tennis legend john mcenroe, was named a 2014-15 nhl players foundation award finalist for his work with the garden of dreams in new york too. like the henrik lundqvist foundation, which strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults around the world through education and health services.
on Feb. On January 11, 2017, he became the 12th goalie in NHL history to reach 400 wins, notching 32 saves in a 4-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche. He won at least 30 games in each of his first 11 full seasons in the NHL.
The Rangers purchased the final season of Lundqvist’s seven-year contract on September 1. on January 30, 2020, making him a free agent for the first time in his NHL career. He signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals on October 1. 9, but he never played for them due to an irregular heartbeat that sidelined him for the 2020-21 season. Lundqvist announced his retirement from hockey Aug. On January 20, 2021 after 15 seasons, the Rangers announced the same day that they would retire his number.
notes & transactions
- nhl rookie team (2006)
- nhl first all-star team (2012)
- nhl second all-star team (2013)
- Olympic all-star team (2014)
- played in the nhl all-star game (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019)
- signed as a free agent by washington, on October 9, 2020.