Henrik Lundqvist is the goalkeeper of the Swedish national hockey team. At the club level, he defends the colors of the New York Rangers NHL team. Henrik was born on March 2, 1982 in Sweden. King Henrik has been playing big hockey since 2000, when he was drafted by the Rangers. The highest paid NHL goalkeeper is Henrik Lundqvist. In 2013, he signed an agreement worth $ 50 million, which ends in 2020.
Carier start
The New York Rangers peaked in the seventh round of the 2000 NHL Draft Lottery. The club from the Big Apple chose Henrik at peak 205. His twin brother Yoel was chosen by the Texas Dallas much earlier - under a common peak of 68.
After the draft, Henrik continued to play in the Swedish hockey league, and in 2004, according to experts, he became the sixth most promising European hockey player. A year later, the goalkeeper was recognized MVP of the Swedish championship, setting five league records.
The debut in the National Hockey League took place in late autumn 2005. The main goalkeeper of the “Rangers” Kevin Weeks was injured, and Henrik Lundqvist took his place at the gate.
National Hockey League
Since its debut for the New York Rangers, Lundquist has not changed a single club. Moreover, Henrik immediately became the main goalkeeper of the team, replacing the injured Weeks in the goal frame. In the first season in the NHL, Hank played 53 games in the Rangers. The team was able to win 30 matches, which helped her reach the Stanley Cup field-offs. In the regular season, Henrik Lundqvist played two matches without missing a single goal. In the playoffs, he missed in every match.
In the next three seasons, the team’s results improved. The percentage of goals defended by Henrik was 91.5% on average. But the team could not even reach the finals of the Eastern Conference. Twice “New York” was stopped at the quarter-finals and once - in ½ tournament.
Stanley Cup Playoff Failures
Only once did Henrik Lundqvist's team fail to qualify for the playoffs following the results of the regular season. It happened in the 2009-2010 season. Even 35 victorious matches did not allow the club to get into the TOP-8 of the Eastern Conference.
Despite the fact that over the past 13 years, the New York Rangers only once did not get into the playoffs, this period cannot be called successful. Each time the team took part in the games right through, they could not stay there.
In 2012 and 2013, Henrik Lundqvist brought the team to the decisive matches in the conference with his magnificent game on the ribbon, however, the battle for the NHL finals both times ended in failure. Only the third time the “Rangers” were able to win the Eastern Conference, but in the final they failed to get the cup.
The reliable play of “King Henrik” in the gate allowed his club to win his division twice. Both times, the team was able to win more than 50 victories in 82 games of the regular season of the NHL. This first happened in the 2011-2012 season. Henrik Lundqvist played 62 games, and the percentage of hits saved was 93. This was the highest figure for his entire career in the NHL. The second time, New York won the division in 2015 with 53 victories.
