IIHF – Henrik Lundqvist

To understand how fickle the NHL draft can be, consider the case of Henrik Lundqvist, who was selected 205th overall by the New York Rangers in 2000 soon after leading Sweden to a bronze medal at the Men’s U18 World Championship. Despite this low selection, “King Henrik” went on to set records for Tre Kronor and in the NHL that leaves scouts from many NHL teams befuddled by their 204 missed opportunities in 2000.
 
Lundqvist developed slowly and was never in a rush to join the NHL. He played in the Swedish league, mostly with Frolunda, and didn’t go to New York until five years after being drafted. But when he arrived on Broadway, he was ready to embrace the moment. He had had two good tournaments at the World Juniors and was the number-one goalie at the 2004 senior Men’s Worlds, taking Tre Kronor to the gold-medal game before losing to Canada and settling for a silver medal.
 
In New York, Lundqvist quickly became the go-to goalie for the Rangers, playing 53 games as a rookie and winning 30 games. Indeed, he won at least 30 games in each of his first seven NHL seasons, the first goalie in league history to do so, and the team developed into a Stanley Cup contender. They qualified for the playoffs in eleven of Lundqvist’s first 12 seasons, culminating in 2014 when they advanced to the Cup finals.

“King Henrik” led Tre Kronor to gold at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

© IIHF / Andre Ringuette

Lundqvist earned the love of fans at Madison Square Garden for his solid positional play and his calm demeanour. A butterfly goalie, he was the opposite of the helter-skelter style of Dominik Hasek, choosing instead to be patient and steady on his skates. Over and above the team’s playoff success, Lundqvist represented his country at every opportunity. He played at the 2005 Worlds and then, most famously, was the main goalie at the 2006 Olympics, when Sweden defeated Finland, 3-2, to win their first Olympic gold since 1994. He played at the 2008 World Championships, in the IIHF’s Centennial year, and then again at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. That third appearance, in Sochi, saw Tre Kronor advance to the gold-medal game again, but this time they fell to Canada, 3-0, and took silver.
 
After joining Sweden for the 2016 World Cup, Lundqvist played at the 2017 Worlds, helping Sweden go all the way and winning his first WM gold. His last appearance for the national team came in 2019. Little did he know at the time, but the next NHL season…