Henrik Lundqvist
Encyclopedia
Henrik Lundqvist (ˈhɛnrɪk ˈlɵndkvɪst; born 2 March 1982) is a Swedish professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

 for the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 (NHL). He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the 30 General Managers of the teams in the National Hockey League vote to determine the goaltender who was the most valuable to his team...

 in his first three seasons in the NHL, finishing third all three times, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in each of his first six seasons. His dominating play during his rookie season resulted in the New York media
Media of New York City
The media of New York City are internationally influential, and include some of the most important newspapers, largest publishing houses, most prolific television studios, and biggest record companies in the world...

 and Rangers fans giving him the nickname "King Henrik". During the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

 in Torino, Italy, he led the Swedish men's team to their second Olympic gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

.

Before joining the Rangers, Lundqvist played for Frölunda HC
Frölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...

 in the Swedish Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

. During his years in Sweden, he developed into the league's finest goaltender, winning the Honken Trophy
Honken Trophy
Honken Trophy is awarded annually to the Swedish goaltender of the year, playing in Sweden , as decided on by EventHouse and Kamratföreningen Hockeyjournalisterna. It was installed in 2002 and resembles the Vezina Trophy of the NHL. The trophy is named in honour of goalie Leif "Honken" Holmqvist.-...

 three consecutive seasons; 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2005 he also won two of the most prestigious awards in Swedish ice hockey, the Golden Puck
Guldpucken
Guldpucken is awarded annually to the ice hockey player of the year in Sweden. It is similar to the NHL's Hart Memorial Trophy. Normally it goes to a player in the Swedish Elite League...

 and the Golden Helmet
Guldhjälmen
Guldhjälmen is a Swedish ice hockey award, which is awarded annually to Elitserien's most valuable player as decided by a vote of its players....

.

Lundqvist is considered a butterfly style
Butterfly style
In ice hockey, "butterfly style" is a technique of goaltending distinguished by the goaltender guarding the lower part of the net by dropping to the knees to block attempts to score. The butterfly style derives its name from the resemblance of the spread goal pads and hands to a butterfly's wings...

 goalie, though unorthodox because of the aggressive way he performs the butterfly. He is best known for his sensational quickness, athleticism and strong positional play.

Early life

Henrik and identical twin brother Joel
Joel Lundqvist
Joel Lundqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre, currently playing for Frölunda HC of Elitserien. He serves as the team's captain.-Early life:...

 were born to Eva Johansson and Peter Lundqvist. From an early age Henrik was nicknamed either "Queen" because he loved to play with his fathers bees, or sometimes nicknamed "Turtle" because he always wore gigantic shoulder pads. They grew up in Åre
Åre
Åre is a locality and one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts situated in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,260 inhabitants in 2005. It is however, not the seat of the municipality, which is Järpen. 25% of the municipal industry is based on tourism, most notably the downhill...

, Jämtland
Jämtland
Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...

, an area where alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

 is the most popular winter activity, but Henrik and Joel chose to play ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 over the more popular winter sports. During the winters their kindergarten teachers used the kindergarten's 9 meters × 3 meters (30 ft × 10 ft) sandpit to freeze an outdoor ice rink where the twins would frequently skate. Their interest in hockey grew even larger when their father Peter took the twins to see Västra Frölunda HC
Frölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...

 play in Scandinavium
Scandinavium
Scandinavium is the primary indoor sports and event arena in Gothenburg, Sweden. Construction on Scandinavium began in 1969 after decades of setbacks, the arena was built in time for the 350th year anniversary celebration of the City of Gothenburg and was inaugurated on May 18, 1971.Scandinavium...

, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

. Henrik has said that he and Joel were very competitive growing up, in sports as well as school. Peter worked for a company who sponsored Frölunda, and Henrik and Joel saw many games in Scandinavium
Scandinavium
Scandinavium is the primary indoor sports and event arena in Gothenburg, Sweden. Construction on Scandinavium began in 1969 after decades of setbacks, the arena was built in time for the 350th year anniversary celebration of the City of Gothenburg and was inaugurated on May 18, 1971.Scandinavium...

 and Frölunda became their favourite team. In 1990 Henrik and Joel joined Järpens IF and started playing organized hockey for the first time. During one practice when the coach asked if anyone wanted to be a goaltender Joel grabbed and raised Henrik's arm and said that his brother would like to. In 1993 the family moved to Båstad
Båstad
Båstad is a locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 4,793 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:The town of Båstad is located in a sheltered bay with the Hallandian ridge stretching behind it...

, Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...

, in southern Sweden to support their older sister Gabriella's tennis career. Henrik and Joel joined local team Rögle BK
Rögle BK
Rögle Bandyklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey club. They currently play in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second highest league in Sweden. The team has previously played four seasons in Elitserien between 1992–93 and 1995–96 and between 2008–09 and 2009–10....

, and were both selected for Scania's regional team in Sverigepucken in 1995. Henrik was selected to play for Scania in TV-pucken
TV-pucken
TV-pucken is a Swedish national ice hockey tournament for district teams of boys under 15 years of age. It was created by hockey legend Sven "Tumba" Johansson....

 in 1996, and in 1997 when Joel was also selected. During the 1997–98 season Henrik and Joel were extensively scouted by Frölunda, and while playing for Rögle in the 1998 Scandinavium Cup in Gothenburg, Frölunda's junior team manager and U16 coach Janne Karlsson
Janne Karlsson
Jan "Janne" Tordh Ingemar Karlsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Atlant Moscow Oblast of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:...

 contacted their father, who told Henrik and Joel about Frölunda's interest in them while driving home to Båstad.

Frölunda (2000–2005)

After having a successful pre-season, Lundqvist made his Elitserien debut in the season opener on 21 September 2000 in a 2–4 loss against Brynäs IF
Brynäs IF
Brynäs IF is a professional Swedish ice hockey team from Gävle. The club plays in the highest Swedish league , and has done so since 1960.-History:...

. Lundqvist bounced back and recorded his first win in the following away game against IF Björklöven
IF Björklöven
IF Björklöven is a Swedish professional ice hockey club in Umeå, Västerbotten, in northern Sweden...

, stopping 18 shots and only allowing one goal while being short handed. In his third straight start, Lundqvist allowed two early first period goals in a game against Timrå IK
Timrå IK
Timrå IK is a Swedish ice hockey team from Timrå, who currently plays in the top division, Elitserien. Seasons in the top division include 1956–57 to 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, and 2000–01 until present.-History:...

 and was pulled in favor of veteran keeper Håkan Algotsson
Håkan Algotsson
Håkan Algotsson is a retired Swedish ice hockey goaltender.Algotsson began his career with his hometown Tyringe SoSS in 1983. In 1988, Algotsson joined Västra Frölunda and would spend the next eleven seasons with the team...

. Lundqvist would dress for only ten more games this season and got only one start in a shootout loss to Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens IF Hockey
Djurgårdens IF Hockey are a professional ice hockey team based in Stockholm, Sweden. They are the ice hockey department of the sports club Djurgårdens IF. The department was formed in 1922 with the help of Wilhelm Arwe and have since then become Sweden's most successful team, having won the Swedish...

. Lundqvist lost his roster spot to American veteran keeper Pat Jablonski
Pat Jablonski
Patrick D. Jablonski was a professional ice hockey goaltender. Between 1989 and 1998, he played for five teams in the National Hockey League: the St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Phoenix Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes.Jablonski, who played junior hockey the Windsor...

, who joined the team in October. Tommy Boustedt
Tommy Boustedt
Carl Tommy Boustedt is the development chief for the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. He is also the current headcoach for Bajen Fans Hockey. Boustedt is most known for his long coaching career. He has been the head coach for Hammarby IF, Djurgårdens IF, IK Vita Hästen, Linköpings HC and Frölunda HC...

, the coach of the team at the time, later said that:
Lundqvist played in nine games for IF Mölndal Hockey in the Swedish second tier Allsvenskan, before joining Frölunda's junior team in the J20 SuperElit
J20 SuperElit
J20 SuperElit is a junior ice hockey league composed of 20 teams in Sweden. It is the highest-level junior ice hockey league in Sweden. The teams are divided in two groups, or divisions, Norra and Södra , and are usually associated with a professional team in either Elitserien or HockeyAllsvenskan...

 in December. After his poor play in Allsvenskan, and a tough start in the J20 SuperElit, he allowed six goals in an exhibition game against Canada. National junior team coaches Bo "Kulon" Lennartsson and Mikael Tisell were worried and decided to have a talk with Lundqvist, where they questioned his motivation. Lundqvist's turning point came at the turn of the year at the 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
-Group B:All times local .-Relegation round: was relegated to Division I for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.-Final round:† Overtime victory.-Quarterfinals:January 2-Consolation round:...

 in Moscow, Russia, where he led the Swedish national junior's team to a fourth place finish in the tournament. He spent the rest of the season in the J20 SuperElit where he played 18 games, leading the league in minutes played by a goaltender. In the playoffs, he led Frölunda to their second straight Anton Cup
Anton Cup
The Anton Cup is the championship trophy of the Swedish junior hockey league, J20 SuperElit. The trophy was donated by Anton Johansson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association between 1924–1948, in 1952, as an award for Sweden's top-ranking ice hockey club, decided by a national tournament...

 win, which came in a 5–2 win over Leksands IF
Leksands IF
Leksands Idrottsförening is a Swedish ice hockey team from the town of Leksand in the region of Dalarna. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Leksand has played 53 seasons in the top Swedish league – between 1951 to 2001, 2002 to 2004, and 2005–06...

 in the final at the Stockholm Globe Arena
Stockholm Globe Arena
The Ericsson Globe is the national indoor arena of Sweden, located in the Johanneshov district of Stockholm . The Ericsson Globe is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world and took two and a half years to build...

.

In December 2004, The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...

 rated Lundqvist the sixth best European prospect, and he was the lone goaltender in their European top 10 list. Also in December, Lundqvist joined fellow Rangers prospect Al Montoya
Al Montoya
Álvaro "Al" Montoya is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League . He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft after a three-year career with the University of Michigan...

 on McKeen's list of top goal-tending prospects, where he was ranked seventh amongst the group.

During the 2005 season, Lundqvist broke four Swedish national records: lowest goals against average (1.05), highest save percentage (.962), longest goalless streak (172 min 29 sec), and most shutouts in a season (6). He was also named Best Goaltender, Best Swedish Player, and he was selected as the league's MVP by fellow players.

In 180 appearances with Frölunda, he amassed a 1.96 goals against average
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....

 and a .927 save percentage
Save percentage
Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...

, leading them to four consecutive playoff appearances and winning two titles in 2003 and 2005.

New York (2005–present)

At the beginning of his rookie season in 2005–06, with starting goaltender Kevin Weekes
Kevin Weekes
Kevin Weekes is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who most recently played for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League . He is now a color commentator on Hockey Night in Canada, and a studio analyst for NHL on the Fly.- Player :Weekes' career began with the Owen...

 injured, Lundqvist made his NHL debut on October 8th 2005 against the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, stopping 24 of 27 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss. A few days later, on 13 October 2005, Lundqvist posted his first career NHL win against the Devils. His first career shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....

 came on 17 October 2005 against the Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...

, and with it Lundqvist became the first rookie goaltender to record a shutout for the Rangers since John Vanbiesbrouck
John Vanbiesbrouck
John "Beezer" Vanbiesbrouck is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender, who was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. He played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils...

 on 2 January 1985. During the season Lundqvist also became the first Rangers rookie to post 20 wins in a season since Mike Richter
Mike Richter
Michael Thomas Richter is a former ice hockey goaltender. One of the most successful American-born goaltenders in history, he is best known for having led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup title in 1994 and for repeatedly representing the United States in international play. Due to his...

 recorded 21 in 1990–91. Finishing the season with 30 wins, Lundqvist broke the Rangers rookie goaltending record of 29 wins, previously held by Jim Henry (1941–42) and Johnny Bower
Johnny Bower
John William Bower , nicknamed "The China Wall", is a Hockey Hall of Fame goalie.-Playing career:...

 (1953–54). Lundqvist was among the league leaders in several categories: fifth in goals against average (2.24), fourth in save percentage (.922), 11th in wins (30), and tied for 16th in shutouts with two. His regular season success did not continue in the playoffs, where he appeared in three playoff games, posted a 0–3 record, a 4.40 goals against average, and an .835 save percentage in a series loss to the Devils. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the 30 General Managers of the teams in the National Hockey League vote to determine the goaltender who was the most valuable to his team...

, awarded annually to the NHL's best goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

, but he was not a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the rookie of the year, because of a high quality crop of first-year players. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team
NHL All-Rookie Team
The NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year...

, along with Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League...

, Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...

, Brad Boyes
Brad Boyes
Bradley Keith Boyes is a professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League ....

, Dion Phaneuf
Dion Phaneuf
Dion Phaneuf is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League...

 and Andrej Meszároš
Andrej Meszároš
Andrej Meszároš is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

. He won the 2005–06 MetLife/Steven McDonald
Steven McDonald
Steven McDonald is a NYPD detective who was shot on July 12, 1986. The shooting left him quadriplegic. He is the most seriously injured New York City Police officer to survive his injury....

 Extra Effort Award, a New York Rangers team award.
By the second month of his second season, Lundqvist had already made a name for himself among the hockey world, his fellow players and the Ranger fans. Because of his spectacular athletic ability and work ethic, he earned the nickname, "The King". "King Henrik" is the other alternative. During home games at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

, after he would make a big save(s), fans often chant "Hen-Rik!, Hen-Rik!, Hen-Rik!, sometimes to the rhythm of two drum beats played over the arena's PA system.

On 14 December 2006, against the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

, Lundqvist became the first NHL goaltender to face his twin brother. He and his brother are only the third set of twins to play each other in an NHL game. The game was won by Lundqvist and the Rangers. In the Rangers 7-0 win in game three of the 2007 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals over the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...

, Lundqvist became the first Rangers goalie since Mike Richter
Mike Richter
Michael Thomas Richter is a former ice hockey goaltender. One of the most successful American-born goaltenders in history, he is best known for having led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup title in 1994 and for repeatedly representing the United States in international play. Due to his...

 in 1997 to post a playoff shutout. The win was also the Rangers' first home playoff win since Richter's shutout. For the second consecutive year, Lundqvist was a finalist being considered for the Vezina Trophy
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the 30 General Managers of the teams in the National Hockey League vote to determine the goaltender who was the most valuable to his team...

. Because Lundqvist was tied with Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was selected in the fifth round, 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga...

 for third place in balloting, there were four finalists for an NHL individual trophy for the first time in league history. During the off-season, Lundqvist re-signed to a one-year, $4.25 million (USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

) contract with the Rangers.

On 13 February 2008, Lundqvist signed a six-year contract with the Rangers worth $41.25 million, averaging $6.875 million a season. This made him the highest paid goaltender in the NHL on average over the length of his contract. On 24 February 2008, Lundqvist became the first Rangers goaltender to record eight shutouts in a single season since Eddie Giacomin
Eddie Giacomin
Edward "Ed" Giacomin is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League, as well as for the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:Despite suffering serious burns in a kitchen accident,...

 in 1970–71. On 6 March 2008, Lundqvist recorded his 30th win of the season, making him just the second goaltender, along with Ron Hextall
Ron Hextall
Ronald Jeffrey Hextall is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, and New York Islanders...

, to record at least 30 wins in each of his first three NHL seasons. On 9 March 2008, Lundqvist became the first Rangers goaltender to record 9 shutouts in a season since Eddie Giacomin's 1966–67 season in a 1-0 win against the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

.

He was named the Rangers Most Valuable Player for the fifth consecutive season (2006–07 - 2010–11), as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association
Professional Hockey Writers' Association
The Professional Hockey Writers' Association is a North American professional association for ice hockey journalists writing for newspapers, magazines and websites...

. He becomes the first Rangers player to earn the Rangers MVP award five consecutive times.

On 1 October 2008, Lundqvist and the New York Rangers won the Victoria Cup
Victoria Cup
The Victoria Cup is the premier middle distance harness race of Australia. Conducted over 2575m, rather than the staying distance of over 3000m or the sprint distance of under 2000m, the Victoria Cup was run at the Melbourne Showgrounds up until 1975, when it was shifted to Moonee Valley...

 by beating Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Metallurg Magnitogorsk is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League...

 in the Championship game with the score of 4-3.

On 8 January 2009, Lundqvist was selected to play in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

.

On 24 January 2009, Lundqvist made his first All-Star appearance in the Elimination Shootout. He stopped 12 of 16 shots in the shootout and Shane Doan
Shane Doan
Shane Albert Doan is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and captain of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League . Doan is the longest tenured player on the club, having played all fourteen of his NHL seasons with the original Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise...

 won the competition. The next day, he played in the second period of the All-Star game, in which he gave up six goals.

On 12 March 2009, Lundqvist became the first NHL goalie to win 30+ games in his first four seasons with a win over the Nashville Predators.

In September 2009, despite having played only four seasons with the club, Lundqvist was ranked No. 90 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...

, 2009).

On 25 March 2010, Lundqvist became the first NHL goalie to win 30+ games in his first five seasons by beating the New Jersey Devils in a shootout.

In January 2011, Henrik Lundqvist and teammate Marc Staal were named All-Stars for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both players were drafted by the Marc Staal's brother Eric, who was one of the captains for the event. On 30 January 2011, Lundqvist played in the third period of the All Star game, stopping 11 of 14 shots. This was his second All-Star appearance. He also became the first goaltender to face and stop penalty shot in the 57 year history of the NHL All-Star Game. The penalty shot was attempted by Matt Duchene.

On 17 February 2011, Lundqvist earned his 200th NHL win in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden.

On 19 March 2011, Lundqvist became the first NHL goalie to win 30+ games in his first six seasons in a 6-3 win over Montreal at Madison Square Garden

International play

Lundqvist is the all time leader among goaltenders, and eleventh overall of all players, in games played for the Swedish national junior's ice hockey team.

At the 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
-Group B:All times local .-Relegation round: was relegated to Division I for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.-Final round:† Overtime victory.-Quarterfinals:January 2-Consolation round:...

 in Moscow, Russia, Lundqvist led the Swedish national junior's ice hockey team to a fourth place finish in the tournament. After an upset 3–2 win over the hosting nation Russia in the quarterfinals, Sweden lost 0–1 against Czech Republic in the semifinals, and 1–2 in over time against Canada in the bronze medal game.

Lundqvist debuted for Tre Kronor on 10 November 2002, during the 2002 Karjala Tournament in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland.

Lundqvist was selected to the 2003 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
2003 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
-Relegation round: avoids relegation by defeating 4-1 in the 2004 IIHF World Championship Far East Qualification game. and are demoted to Division I at the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.-Scoring leaders:-Goaltending leaders:-Group A:...

 but was third string goaltender behind Tommy Salo
Tommy Salo
Tommy Mikael Salo is a Swedish General Manager of Swedish ice hockey club Leksands IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan. He is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender and a former head coach of IK Oskarshamn.-Playing career:...

 and Mikael Tellqvist
Mikael Tellqvist
Mikael Tellqvist is a professional Swedish ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for Modo Hockey in Elitserien.-Playing career:...

. The following year at the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2004 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held April 24-May 9, 2004, in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. Games for this Ice Hockey World Championships tournament were played at Sazka Arena and ČEZ Aréna...

 Lundqvist was the starting goaltender and he was selected to the tournament all star team.

Lundqvist and Jörgen Jönsson
Jörgen Jönsson
Ulf Peter Jörgen Jönsson is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player who last played for Färjestads BK of the Swedish Elitserien. He has represented the Team Sweden 285 times, making him the record holder for most games played in the national team...

 were the only two Elitserien players selected to play for Sweden at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey
2004 World Cup of Hockey
The 2004 World Cup of Hockey was an international ice hockey tournament. It was the second installment of the National Hockey League -sanctioned competition eight years after the inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey. It was held from August 30 to September 14, 2004, and took place in various venues...

. Lacking experience on the smaller ice surface Lundqvist was again third string behind Salo and Tellqvist.

In the Euro Hockey Tour
Euro Hockey Tour
The Euro Hockey Tour is an annual ice hockey tournament only open to the national men's teams of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden. Most of the teams use the competition as a preparation for the upcoming World Championships or Olympics, allowing less experienced players to collect...

 during the 2004–05 season, Lundqvist was named best goaltender in Karjala Tournament
Karjala Tournament
Karjala Tournament, also known as Karjala Cup, is an annual ice hockey event held in Finland. The name comes from the sponsoring beer brand Karjala ....

 and Sweden Hockey Games
LG Hockey Games
Sweden Hockey Games is an annual ice hockey event held in Sweden.Since season 1996–97, the tournament is part of the Euro Hockey Tour in which the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden participate...

 by the directorate and also to the media all star team in both tournaments. At the 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2005 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held March 7 - May 15, 2005, in 7 cities in 6 countries: Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria ; Debrecen, Hungary ; Eindhoven, the Netherlands ; Zagreb, Croatia ; Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro ; Mexico City, Mexico...

 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 and Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

, Austria, Lundqvist played in all nine games during the tournament where Sweden lost the bronze medal game against Russia.

Lundqvist's most memorable international performance came at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

 in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

, where he led Sweden to the gold medal over their arch rival, Finland. In six Olympic starts, Lundqvist went 5–1, allowing only 12 goals with a .907 save percentage.

Inline hockey

Lundqvist led team Sweden with spectacular goaltending to their first ever medal in inline hockey
Inline hockey
Inline hockey, often referred to as roller hockey in the United States, is a sport similar to ice hockey but played with inline skates. Like its parent sport, skaters on two teams use hockey sticks to direct a disk-shaped puck into the opponent's goal; however, various details of the game, such as...

 when they won Gold at the 2002 IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships.

Off the ice

Starting in 2009, Lundqvist is the Rangers spokesman for the Garden of Dreams Foundation, which works mostly with Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

 and its tenants to host charitable events and grant wishes to sick children, similar to the Make-a-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...

. In this role, Lundqvist will host the events and record public service messages.

In 2004 he was awarded Best Dressed in Sweden. In April 2006 he was named one of People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...

s World's 100 Most Beautiful People. In December 2008, he was named one of Page Six Magazine's Top 25 Best Dressed in 2008.

In 2007 a video appeared on the website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 with a drunk man impersonating Lundqvist. Two major Swedish tabloids, Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...

 and Expressen
Expressen
Expressen is one of two nationwide evening tabloid newspapers in Sweden, the other being Aftonbladet. Expressen was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and slogans "it stings" or "Expressen to your rescue", always on the reader's side....

, wrote about the event. Aftonbladet later released a statement from a man claiming to have been the impersonator in the clip.

Lundqvist used to play guitar in a Swedish rock band called Box Play.

Lundqvist also has a restaurant called Tiny's located in TriBeCa. He has worked on this project with current Rangers teammate, Sean Avery (who owns his own restaurant in New York City called Warren 77) and some other business partners.

Additionally, in his personal life, Henrik is married to Therese Andersson since the summer of 2011.

Regular season

   
Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

Team League GP W L T OTL SA MIN GA SO GAA
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....

SV%
Save percentage
Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...

2000–01 Frölunda HC
Frölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...

SEL
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

4 823 11 0 1.46 .981
2001–02 Frölunda HC SEL 20 1,153 52 2 2.71 .900
2002–03 Frölunda HC SEL 28 1,651 40 6 1.45 .949
2003–04 Frölunda HC SEL 48 2,898 105 7 2.17 .927
2004–05
2004–05 Elitserien season
The 2004–05 Elitserien season was the 30th season of Elitserien. It started on September 20, 2004, with the regular season ending March 1, 2005. The playoffs of the 81st Swedish Championship ended on April 11, with Frölunda HC taking the championship....

Frölunda HC SEL 44 30 6 3 2 2,641 79 6 1.79 .936
2005–06 New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

53 30 12 9 1,485 3,111 116 2 2.24 .922
2006–07 New York Rangers NHL 70 37 22 8 1,927 4,108 160 5 2.34 .917
2007–08 New York Rangers NHL 72 37 24 10 1,823 4,304 160 10 2.23 .912
2008–09
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...

New York Rangers NHL 70 38 25 7 2,007 4,153 168 3 2.43 .916
2009–10
2009–10 NHL season
The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010...

New York Rangers NHL 73 35 27 10 2,109 4,204 167 4 2.38 .921
2010–11
2010–11 NHL season
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech...

New York Rangers NHL 68 36 27 5 1,965 4,007 152 11 2.28 .923
SEL totals 144 8,534 287 21 1.99
NHL totals 406 213 137 49 11,316 23,889 923 35 2.32 .918

Post-season

   
Season Team League GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2001–02 Frölunda HC SEL 8 490 18 2 2.21 .931
2002–03 Frölunda HC SEL 12 740 26 2 2.11 .921
2003–04 Frölunda HC SEL 10 610 20 0 1.97 .936
2004–05 Frölunda HC SEL 14 12 2 855 15 6 1.05 .961
2005–06 New York Rangers NHL 3 0 3 177 13 0 4.41 .835
2006–07 New York Rangers NHL 10 6 4 637 22 1 2.07 .924
2007–08 New York Rangers NHL 10 5 5 608 26 1 2.57 .909
2008–09 New York Rangers NHL 7 3 4 380 19 1 3.00 .908
2009–10 New York Rangers NHL did not qualify
2010-11 New York Rangers NHL 5 1 4 346 13 0 2.25 .917
SEL totals 44 2695 79 10 1.76
NHL totals 35 15 20 2148 93 3 2.60 .909

Elitserien records

  • Goals against average (1.45) and save percentage (.948) of 2002–03
  • Goals against average (1.79) and save percentage (.936) of 2004–05

New York Rangers/NHL records

  • Second Rangers goaltender ever (after Eddie Giacomin
    Eddie Giacomin
    Edward "Ed" Giacomin is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League, as well as for the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:Despite suffering serious burns in a kitchen accident,...

    ) to record back-to-back 30-win seasons with 30 in the 2005–06 season and 37 in the 2006–07 season
  • Second goaltender in NHL history to record three straight 30-win seasons to begin their career (2005–06 to 2007–08) (Ron Hextall
    Ron Hextall
    Ronald Jeffrey Hextall is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, and New York Islanders...

    , from 1986–87 to 1988–89, was the other)
  • Only goalie in NHL history to record six straight 30-win season to begin their career (2005–06 to present)
  • Shares NHL record for longest assist
    Assist (ice hockey)
    In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...

     streak by a goaltender at 3 games in 2010-11 (Tom Barrasso
    Tom Barrasso
    Thomas Patrick Barrasso is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St...

     in 1984-85
    1984-85 NHL season
    The 1984–85 NHL season was the 68th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers won their second straight Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to one in the final series.-League business:...

     and 1988–89 and Ed Belfour
    Ed Belfour
    Edward John Belfour is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.Belfour was born in Carman, Manitoba and grew up playing hockey. He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota where he helped the school win the NCAA championship in the...

     in 2001–02)

Olympics records

  • Winter Olympics record for consecutive minutes without allowing a goal: 172-plus minutes (2006
    2006 Winter Olympics
    The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

     to 2010 Winter Olympics
    2010 Winter Olympics
    The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

    )

Elitserien awards

Award Year(s) awarded
Junior Hockey Player of the Year 2002
Honken Trophy
Honken Trophy
Honken Trophy is awarded annually to the Swedish goaltender of the year, playing in Sweden , as decided on by EventHouse and Kamratföreningen Hockeyjournalisterna. It was installed in 2002 and resembles the Vezina Trophy of the NHL. The trophy is named in honour of goalie Leif "Honken" Holmqvist.-...

2003, 2004, 2005
Guldhjälmen
Guldhjälmen
Guldhjälmen is a Swedish ice hockey award, which is awarded annually to Elitserien's most valuable player as decided by a vote of its players....

2005
Guldpucken
Guldpucken
Guldpucken is awarded annually to the ice hockey player of the year in Sweden. It is similar to the NHL's Hart Memorial Trophy. Normally it goes to a player in the Swedish Elite League...

2005

NHL/New York Rangers awards

Award Year(s) awarded
All-Rookie Team
NHL All-Rookie Team
The NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year...

2006
Victoria Cup - New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

2008
All-Star Game
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...

2009
57th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, home of the Montreal Canadiens, in conjunction with the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. The game was held between two teams, each representing a conference of the National Hockey League...

, 2011
58th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 58th National Hockey League All-Star Game, also known as the 2011 National Hockey League All-Star Game presented by Discover, was the National Hockey League’s annual All-Star game played on January 30, 2011. The game took place during the 2010–11 NHL season at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North...


Nominations

Award Year(s) nominated
Vezina Trophy
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the 30 General Managers of the teams in the National Hockey League vote to determine the goaltender who was the most valuable to his team...

2006, 2007, 2008

International

Award Year(s) awarded
WC
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...

 Best Goaltender
2004
2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2004 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held April 24-May 9, 2004, in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. Games for this Ice Hockey World Championships tournament were played at Sazka Arena and ČEZ Aréna...

WC All-Star Team 2004

External links

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