King Henrik reigned supreme during a long run of success on Broadway, forever earning his place in New York Rangers lore when they retired his No. 30 on Jan. 28, 2021, making him the 11th player in their history to have his number hang in the Madison Square Garden rafters.
A stellar performer for more than a decade with the New York Rangers, the goalie from Are, Sweden, has been one of the top players of his generation and is one of the top goalies of all time. Since arriving in the NHL in 2005-06, Lundqvist has won the Vezina Trophy and led the NHL in victories, as well as helping Sweden win gold at the 2006 Torino Olympics.
King Henrik reigned supreme during a long run of success on Broadway, forever earning his place in New York Rangers lore when they retired his No. 30 on Jan. 28, 2021, making him the 11th player in their history to have his number hang in the Madison Square Garden rafters.
A stellar performer for more than a decade with the New York Rangers, the goalie from Are, Sweden, has been one of the top players of his generation and is one of the top goalies of all time. Since arriving in the NHL in 2005-06, Lundqvist has won the Vezina Trophy and led the NHL in victories, as well as helping Sweden win gold at the 2006 Torino Olympics.
The 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. During the next five years, Lundqvist was the top goalie in Sweden, winning the Honken Trophy, the equivalent to the Vezina Trophy, three consecutive times, from 2003-05.
In 2004-05, Lundqvist established Swedish Hockey League records for lowest playoff goals-against average (1.05), highest save percentage (.962), most single-season shutouts (six) and longest shutout streak (172:29). He was named the Guldpucken winner as league MVP and the Guldhjalmen winner as the players' choice for MVP. In the postseason, Lundqvist helped lead Frolunda to a league championship by going 12-2 with a 1.05 GAA. Lundqvist also won a championship with Frolunda in 2002-03.
Lundqvist debuted with the Rangers in 2005-06 and finished as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy while earning NHL All-Rookie Team honors. He made his NHL debut Oct. 8, 2005 in an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils, and got his first NHL victory against New Jersey five days later. His first NHL shutout came Oct. 17, 2005 when he made 23 saves in a 4-0 victory against the Florida Panthers.
He finished his first season with 30 victories, setting a Rangers record for wins by a 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; he was a Vezina finalist in each of his first three seasons in the NHL and finished in the top six in voting in each of his first 10 seasons.
Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy in 2011-12 and finished third in voting for the Hart Trophy as League MVP after going 39-18-5 with a 1.97 GAA and .930 save percentage, earning NHL First-Team All-Star honors for the first time. He led the League in victories with 24 in the 48-game shortened season in 2012-13.
Lundqvist owns almost every record for goalies in Rangers history, including victories, shutouts, playoff wins and games played. He also has excelled under pressure. Lundqvist set an NHL record by winning six consecutive Game 7s, a streak that was broken by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 Eastern Conference Final. He set an Olympic record for longest shutout streak (172:34) between the 2006 and 2010 Games.
Lundqvist, who plays guitar and has been known to play charity events with tennis legend John McEnroe, was named a finalist for the NHL Player Foundation Award in 2014-15 for his work with the Garden of Dreams Foundation in New York as well as the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation, which strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults throughout the world through education and health services.
On Feb. 11, 2017, he became the 12th goalie in NHL history to reach 400 victories, making 32 saves in a 4-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche. He won at least 30 games in each of his first 11 full NHL seasons.
The Rangers bought out the final season of Lundqvist's seven-year contract on Sept. 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 Oct. 9 but never played for them because of an irregular heartbeat that sidelined him for the 2020-21 season. Lundqvist announced his retirement from hockey Aug. 20, 2021 after 15 seasons, the Rangers announcing the same day they would retire his number.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- NHL All-Rookie Team (2006)
- NHL First All-Star Team (2012)
- NHL Second All-Star Team (2013)
- Olympic All-Star Team (2014)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019)
- Signed as a free agent by Washington, October 9, 2020.