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Who is Henrik Lundqvist?
Henrik Lundqvist is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player known as “King Henrik” because of his strong play style. Henrik Lundqvist spent his entire fifteen-year NHL career with the New York Rangers (NHL). He is well-known for his aggressive butterfly goaltending technique.
He had the most wins by a European-born goaltender in NHL history during his professional career.
In addition, he represented Sweden’s men’s national ice hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Sweden successfully defended their gold medal that year.
Henrik Lundqvist experimented with sports broadcasting after retiring from professional ice hockey.
Lundqvist joined MSG Network on October 15, 2021, to cover the Rangers’ 2021-22 season.
Henrik Lundqvist’s Childhood and Family
Lundqvist, the athlete, was born on March 2, 1982, in, Sweden’s Jämtland province.
Joel is his identical twin brother.
The twins learned to skate in an outdoor ice rink built by their kindergarten teachers over the winter.
Their town was well-known for alpine skiing, but they preferred ice hockey.
Their father, Peter, once took them to see Västra Frölunda HC play in Gothenburg’s Scandinavium arena.
It was one of their favorite memories, and it fueled their passion for ice hockey.
In 1990, Henrik and Joel began playing organized hockey with Järpens IF.
However, once their family relocated to Bastad, Skne, in 1993, the two brothers joined Rögle BK.
When Frölunda’s junior squad manager Janne Karlsson first indicated an interest in scouting Henrik and Joel, they were competing in the 1998 Scandinavium Cup.
Prior to his professional ice hockey career, Henrik Lundqvist was a member of the Swedish band Box Play.
They simply performed Swedish rock covers, but Lundqvist had a good night because he enjoys music.
Henrik Lundqvist’s Professional Career
HC Västra Frölunda
On September 21, 2000, Lundqvist made his Swedish Hockey League debut with Frölunda Hockey Club.
Frölunda, on the other hand, lost the first game against Brynäs IF.
Lundqvist stopped 18 shots in the next game against IF Björklöven, leading his team to a victory.
On the other side, he did not play for the majority of the season and was replaced on the roster by Pat Jablonski.
Instead, he played for IF Mölndal Hockey in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-highest ice hockey league.
He joined Frölunda’s junior ice hockey squad after nine games and competed in the J20 SuperElit in December 2000.
His poor performance worried his coaches, but he bounced back at the 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.
In 2003, 2004, and 2005, Lundqvist won the Honken Trophy as Swedish goalkeeper of the year.
In 2005, he was also awarded the Golden Puck and Golden Helmet.
Rookie Season with the New York Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist joined the New York Rangers as a backup to primary goaltender Kevin Weekes during the 2005-06 NHL season.
However, since Weekes was injured in the second game, Lundqvist made his NHL debut on October 8, 2005.
Lundqvist earned his first NHL victory on October 13 at Madison Square Garden against the New Jersey Devils.
The Rangers defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 5-1 on October 16.
After fans and the New York media praised his performance, Lundqvist earned the moniker “King Henrik.”
Lundqvist was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2006.
He ended his first season with a Rangers record-breaking 30 wins.
Brotherly Battle
In December 2006, King Henrik faced his twin brother, Joel, in a game against the Dallas Stars.
The Rangers easily won the game.
In the 2007-08 season, Lundqvist won eight shootouts.
Similarly, he won nine shootouts in 2008-09, becoming the first Rangers goaltender to do it since Eddie Giacomin in 1966-67.
The Rangers won the Victoria Cup in October 2008, defeating Russian professional ice hockey team Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Lundqvist appeared in the Elimination Shootout of the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal.
Henrik Lundqvist became the first goaltender in NHL history to win at least 30 games in each of his first four seasons on March 12, 2009.
King Henrik finally won the Vezina Trophy at the 2012 NHL Awards in Las Vegas after garnering nominations for the first three seasons.
For five consecutive seasons, the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) recognized him as the Rangers’ Most Valuable Player (2006-07 to 2010-11).
Injuries
On January 31, 2015, Lundqvist had an injury that damaged a blood artery in his neck during a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
As a result, he missed several games this season.
Lundqvist returned to the starting lineup on March 28, but the Rangers were defeated 4-2 by the Boston Bruins.
Despite Henrik starting the remaining games of the 2015 playoffs, the Rangers had a poor offensive showing.
On January 16, 2016, King Henrik made history by becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to have 11 consecutive 20-win seasons.
Furthermore, he recorded his 60th shutout against the St. Louis Blues.
After defeating the Colorado Avalanche on February 11, 2017, Lundqvist became the fastest goalkeeper in history to reach 400 wins.
On November 25, 2019, he won his 455th game, moving him into fifth place in NHL all-time wins.
Transfer to the Washington Capitals
On September 29, 2020, the Rangers announced their decision to buy out the last year of Lundqvist’s contract.
The sportsman then became a free agent and signed a $1.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals in October.
Henrik was unable to play in the 2020-21 season due to pericarditis, which caused an erratic heartbeat.
He also had to have open-heart surgery in January 2021.
Lundqvist resumed training in late February but later chose against playing in the 2020-21 season.
Then, on August 20, 2021, King Henrik announced his resignation.
As a result, the Rangers announced that his uniform number 30 would be retired in his honor.
The jersey will be retired on January 28, 2022.
Henrik Lundqvist on Marriage and Children
Henrik Lundqvist and Therese Andersson first met in 1998, when Lundqvist was still a junior ice hockey player.
Lundqvist proposed to Andersson after they had been together for more than a decade.
In the summer of 2011, the couple exchanged wedding vows.
Charlise, Henrik and Therese’s first child, was born on July 10, 2012.
Juli, their second daughter, was born on March 20, 2015.
Lundqvist and his wife founded the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation in 2014 with the intention of providing health care and education to impoverished families.
It is a non-profit, multinational grantmaking organization that organizes fundraisers.
Net Worth and Earnings from a Career
Henrik Lundqvist signed a six-year, $41.25 million contract deal with the New York Rangers in February 2008.
As a result, Lundqvist earned an average of $6.875 million every season.
On December 4, 2013, he signed a $59.5 million contract extension for another seven years when his contract expired.
As a result, Lundqvist became the NHL’s highest-paid goaltender, earning $8.5 million each season.
HIS NET WORTH IS ESTIMATED TO BE $35 MILLION.
Tiny’s, a restaurant in Tribeca, Lower Manhattan, is owned by Lundqvist.
Similarly, he lives in a $2 million estate in New York with his wife and children.
Also, read Shaquille O’Neal, Manu Ginobili, 15 World Cup Most Goals Players In FIFA History
Henrik Lundqvist Discusses Social Media
Without a question, King Henrik is one of the best goaltenders in NHL history, but fans are also drawn to his attractive looks.
People’s magazine named him one of the World’s 100 Most Beautiful People in April 2006.
Henrik Lundqvist also won the “Best Dressed” award in Sweden in 2004.
593k followers on Instagram
Twitter has 699,000 followers.
