In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this edition, we feature former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter.
NEW YORK -- Mike Richter watched Henrik Lundqvist's entire career with the New York Rangers from a perspective only he could appreciate.
Richter was the legendary Rangers goalie before the legendary Rangers goalie.
He was the Rangers' all-time leader in wins (301) and games played (666), and wins (41) and games played (76) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before Lundqvist arrived in 2005-06 and started on a path to shattering those marks.
Lundqvist finished with 459 wins in 887 regular-season games, and 61 wins in 130 playoff games, more than enough to land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023 that was inducted Monday.
He was joined by fellow former goalies Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon along with Pierre Turgeon, Caroline Ouelette, Ken Hitchcock and Pierre Lacroix (posthumously).
NHL.com spoke to Richter spoke about Lundqvist, goalies going into the Hall of Fame, the potential that one day he too will get his Hall call, the current state of the Rangers and the excitement he has for the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series that will feature the Rangers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Feb. 17-18.
Henrik is a Rangers goalie. Is his induction into the Hall of Fame in some way a feather in the cap for all Rangers goalies? Do you feel a little bit of pride to see a Rangers goalie going in?
"A hundred percent. He represents our organization and he represents it so well. He represents goalies in particular. There's been a great history of very good goalies in New York, and maybe what's so striking about Henrik was his work ethic. He was a great talent but he really earned the success that he got. I just have a ton of respect for how he went about it. He's in the media, good looking guy, all these great things. But in the end he was a workhorse. He worked his tail off to get where he is now. All players respect that."
This is a goalie class with Lundqvist, Barrasso and Vernon. You don't see yourself in there yet, but what does it mean to a former goalie like yourself to see goalies getting their Hall of Fame spotlight?
"It is a goalie-dominated class and there is a bubble of great goaltenders. Tom Barrasso is one of them and I don't want to say he was forgotten because nobody in Pittsburgh has forgotten what he did. I watched him as a goaltender as a kid and he seemed like he was 20 years older than me and he was two. I watched him as a peer and I felt the same thing. He won individual awards, he won two Stanley Cups. And he was dealing with the challenge of his daughter going through cancer. And on that team in particular, with their great offensive capabilities, it's easy to forget the defense and the goaltending, and he was awesome in the playoffs. It's almost like Marc-Andre Fleury and the way he is. I don't want to say people forgot about [Barrasso], but he resurrected his career multiple times. He was an amazing goalie when he was on Carolina. I played with him on the [United States] Olympic team in 2002. He was a great, great player. And he was at such a young age. I mean, how many people are able to go from high school and jump into the NHL the next year? Incredible what he did as a goaltender having played probably all of 25 games the year before. He was a special guy. But Mike Vernon too. He was a really clutch player. Undersized guy. Easily overlooked. Just a tough little bugger that found a way to win and that's what you're asking of your goalies."
Do you ever think, now that these guys got in maybe one day you'll get your call from the Hall of Fame?
"We'll see. We'll see. It's the one thing when you're done playing that you have no control over. It's over. I'm happy with how I approached my game. It's other people's decisions. Thankfully I don't have to be involved."
You mentioned Fleury and he has to be among the active goalies that is a true lock to get in. Probably Jonathan Quick too. But for Fleury, he's approaching Patrick Roy for second on the all-time wins list. What do you make of Fleury, his career and how he just keeps on coming back and being an impact goalie wherever he goes?
"It's incredible. In the end, if there is one aspect of his career, it's winning. He wins. He was a huge part of that expansion team in Vegas. Who thought they were going to be that good? Even when he came into the League he was so brilliant as an 18-year-old. Then he was quiet, people weren't focusing on him. And guess what? He's still there. He wins a Cup and plays great doing it. He wasn't just a passenger. He has won everywhere he's gone. He's won championships. He finds ways to get his team there. And in the process he's loved by everybody. That's a strong statement. I think the world of that guy. Jonathan Quick as well. Maybe it feels under the radar because we're on the East Coast, but what a career that guy has had to win as much as he has. But he wasn't just good; he was spectacular. I mean, I watched him play when the Rangers were against the Kings in the [2014 Cup] Final. Henrik Lundqvist was on the other end and he was an amazing goalie. Jonathan Quick was every bit of that. I don't think people understood how good he is and how hard it was going to be to beat that team. The ace in the hole for the Rangers was Henrik, but then they had Quick and he is that good. And he still is. He's still playing a great level of hockey. I have a lot of respect for guys that just put their heads down and play."
Speaking of Quick and the Rangers, what do you think of this team and how they've responded under coach Peter Laviolette?
"I think they've got great character within their four walls. They were young and now they have experience. Make no mistake, last year hurt for them, but it's part of the growing process. To go through to the Eastern Conference Final the year before, have expectations, fall short, have that burn a hole in you through the summer, you come back hungry. They're really well coached. This is a great staff they have and certainly a guy who understands how to win and he's been through it all. It seems like he's communicating with his players, they're buying into his system and they're so strong in goal. I think they're one of the most exciting teams. But I have to say that if you were to meet the individuals it's impossible not to cheer for this team. They seem like a particularly good group of guys. It's not just great players, they seem to be genuinely good people. That bodes well when things inevitably get tough. You'll be challenged. You'll lose, have losing streaks. You have to get through them and character will carry you there."
The Stadium Series is coming up in February. Two games at MetLife Stadium. You're a fan of hockey and you're a fan of hockey living in the New York tri-state area. What do you think it can do for hockey and the notoriety the NHL can get in this market to have two games like they're going to have here in February?
"It's incredible. We're so lucky to have four really competitive teams around here. The New Jersey Devils are a great team. The Islanders have been growing the organization and they're really a capable team. The Rangers are firing. They have experience and they're a very good team. So the three hockey teams in this area are good and then you add in the Flyers just a bus ride away. It's a brilliant move to keep that rivalry as stoked as it can possibly be and have these guys go head to head in a cool event like this. I think the outdoor game is a stroke of genius. The players love playing. I wish I could have done it. We all played pond hockey. I still do as an old fart. It's magic to be out there, really fun, and you get that sense when you go there live or either on TV that this is something special. It's not just another game; this is a celebration of hockey. But there's a real prize on the line of two points and at the very least bragging rights locally. I think the intensity of the games and the energy it brings, it's just a great move."
If there was one outdoor venue that you could play in as an NHL player what would it be?
"They did it in Lake Tahoe and that was amazing. That was something to see. A couple of the pucks went out and they're in the trees or on the green. Something like that, a magically, beautiful setting, would be it. That's the roots of the sport. Years ago the [University of Wisconsin] Badgers played at Green Bay and that's a cool thing. Some of these historical places would be great. Soldier Field would have been amazing. But MetLife, Yankee Stadium, when you get that many people in a spot, it's a pretty special event for the players and the people viewing it. I've been to a couple of these outdoor games and they're all magical. They've all been a home run. This sport is about passion and people love playing. There's a reason you go out there on a pond and you stay until it's dark, because you don't want to stop. I see that in the players that get to go out there for these games."
