The king’s speech began on Friday shortly after three in the afternoon at the Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden, or shortly after nine in the morning in New York.
“It’s the place where I saw my first real hockey game when I was 6,” Henrik Lundqvist had told The Post before making the trip to the court. “It was here that I started watching hockey. That’s when my dream began that one day I would play in Frolunda ”.
That was where Lundqvist’s hockey career officially began and ended on Friday. four in the Swedish Elite League, as it was then known, with Frolunda.
“When [this] the summer started, my plan was still to come back, ”said Lundqvist, who signed with the capitals in October 2020 but did not play any matches for them before being operated on with an open heart in early January. “I started working again and skated, but without any contact. But there were some setbacks. Too much effort caused some chest pain.
“I hoped it would be 100 percent at the moment. But I was told that the inflammation takes a long time to correct and, with medication, it could be out of the woods, but it could be another year before it reaches 100%.
“So I thought about it, I talked to my closest friends, my family and my wife, Therese. Probably this year was harder for her than for me. She is such a strong woman. It came to be determined to what extent I wanted to move forward, what bet did I want to make? And I came to the conclusion that there are too many unknowns and too much risk to not have enough reward to keep playing.
“I am just happy with this. I am. I feel like I’m in a very strong place mentally after going through all of last year’s challenges, starting with when the Rangers bought me, “said No. 30.” For the last eight months or so, there has been so much waiting and voice and I haven’t been in the driver’s seat. I’ve been in the passenger seat. Now there was a decision to be made.
“Everything is fresh. I decided just a few days ago. But I am at peace. I look back on my professional career and I just have gratitude and pride. I am very grateful “.
To summarize: Lundqvist and the Rangers were aware that the goalkeeper had heart disease that required supervision after the Swede’s first doctor when he joined the organization in 2005. The condition, reviewed periodically, never reached the point where Lundqvist he required medical attention throughout his Broadway career.
But after being bought in September 2020 and signing a one-year free agent agreement with Washington, Lundqvist required open heart surgery after an enlarged aorta and a leaking valve were discovered during a pre-camp examination.
Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Jan. 8, in which Lundqvist received an aortic valve replacement, an aortic root, and an ascending aortic replacement, was successful to the point that the goalkeeper had returned to the ice in late February. and was taking shots as he planned to join the Chiefs in the final weeks of the season and the playoffs.
But Lundqvist was shut down in early April after discovering inflammation. Then came the summer hope before the medical reality came in and put an end to one of the great goal races in NHL history and one of the most legendary races in Rangers history.
“When I look back, there’s so much to win,” said the retiring goalkeeper as the sixth winner in NHL history at 459-310-96 with an average of 2.43 goals against, a percentage of savings of .918 and 64 stops. . In the postseason, he added another 61 wins and 10 stops and led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup final in 2014. “Of course, it’s disappointing not to win the Cup, but we had our chances and we had our window. I am grateful to my teammates and for playing with these teams.
“There was nothing like the feeling of these great victories in the garden, these 7 games with everything in line, the noise and the way the building would explode after a victory. There was nothing like this feeling ”.
Lundqvist played eight games out of 7, going 6-2 with a 1.11 GAA percentage and 0.961 savings, never allowing more than two goals in any of those clashes. He and the Rangers got an amazing 15-4 in the playoff games from 2012 to 2015. But no Cup.
“Loyalty was so important to me throughout my career,” Lundqvist said. “I feel like I’m leaving everything I had on the ice in New York. That feels good. When I made the decision to stay in rebuilding, loyalty was the most important thing to me. We didn’t win, but I did. Staying meant a lot to me. ”
When the purchase arrived, Lundqvist finally decided to pursue his career elsewhere, specifically with the Chiefs, after pondering and self-examining. But, as he told The Post, “my heart would not allow me.”
The Lundqvists return to New York shortly when their two daughters, 9-year-old Juli and 6-year-old Charlise, begin the school year. This is home.
“It feels almost normal,” said the king, who will turn 40 on March 2. “And now I’m going to start living a normal life, so to speak, in New York. I’m excited about the next chapter.”
The next chapter may or may not be related to hockey. “I have some ideas, both inside and outside of hockey,” he said. “I love the game and will always do so, so when the time comes, I’ll see if there can be anything I can participate in.”
But that doesn’t mean Lundqvist will immediately rejoin the Rangers organization that will surely host a garden retirement celebration for No. 30 this season or next.
“I know I’ll reconnect with Jim at some point,” Lundqvist said of CEO and CEO Jim Dolan. “If I’m involved with the Rangers at some point, it would be nice in my mind. But I don’t know if it’s time.
“It simply came to our notice then. I feel good, I’m grateful. I never asked “Why me?” The last year there have been so many challenges for all of us. I am looking forward to the next part of my life.
“I am just looking forward to being in New York. He has such a big piece of my heart. “