King Henrik has reigned supreme during a long run of success on Broadway.
A stellar performer for more than a decade with the New York Rangers, the goaltender from Are, Sweden, has been one of the top players of his generation and one of the top goaltenders of all time. Since arriving in the NHL in 2005-06, Lundqvist has won the Vezina Trophy, Olympic gold and led the League in victories.
King Henrik has reigned supreme during a long run of success on Broadway.
A stellar performer for more than a decade with the New York Rangers, the goaltender from Are, Sweden, has been one of the top players of his generation and one of the top goaltenders of all time. Since arriving in the NHL in 2005-06, Lundqvist has won the Vezina Trophy, Olympic gold and led the League in victories.
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. Over the next five years, Lundqvist was the top goaltender in Sweden, winning the Honken Trophy, the equivalent to the Vezina, three consecutive times from 2003-05.
In 2005, Lundqvist established 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, finishing as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy while earning All-Rookie Team honors. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2005, in an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils, and got his first NHL victory against New Jersey on Oct. 13, 2005. He got his first NHL shutout on Oct. 17, 2005, stopping 23 shots in a victory against the Florida Panthers.
He finished his rookie season with 30 victories, setting a franchise 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 as he finished as a Vezina finalist each of his first three seasons and finished in the top six in voting in each of his first 10 seasons.
In 2011-12 he won the Vezina Trophy and finished third in voting for the Hart Trophy (League MVP) after going 39-18-5 with a 1.97 GAA and .930 save percentage, earning 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 has gone on to hold every goalkeeping franchise record 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 the 400-win milestone.
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)
