It is the aura, it is the personality, it is the grace and it is the professionalism, competitiveness and, yes, the humanity of Henrik Lundqvist he bequeaths to New York forever now that his days in a Rangers uniform have come to an end.
That is what Lundqvist, the Swede who made himself at home on Broadway, leaves behind. That is who Lundqvist is. But if you want to talk about this particular Core Four, Lundqvist was something else that not one of them was and he carried a burden shared by none of the above.
He was the face of the franchise for the final 14 years of his year career here, the singular name above the title on the marquee and essentially required to be the best player on the ice just about any and every night in order for his team to win.
Eventually, it took a toll. The amount of work he needed to do on a consistent basis, and certainly over the last five years while often operating behind a defensive structure that seemed to traffic in chaos, wore him down. So did the Cup receding into the background of the rearview mirror.
The game became faster, Lundqvist became slower. Or, perhaps more accurately, the King became 35, then 36, then 37, and now The Rangers were in playoff elimination games from That almost seems like a typographical error.
Lundqvist allowed one goal or no goals in 11 of those 19 games. The Rangers came from down against the Penguins in and down against the Capitals in and Lundqvist allowed a sum of eight goals in those six potential elimination games. He was as hard on his teammates as he was on himself and perhaps not every player appreciated that all the time. Lundqvist's effortless charm was something any fan or reporter could catch on to and the fact he was so nice only added to his aura.
Lundqvist is deciding what his next step will be but it's hard not to see him taking on some type of role with the Rangers eventually. New York is where he raised his family and he has been such a huge part of the Rangers organization already that it almost seems obvious he will take on an executive role similar to what peers such as Martin Brodeur and the Sedin Twins have already accepted in New Jersey and Vancouver, respectively.
On the other hand, from fashion to music, Lundqvist always had an array of interests outside of hockey, so the world really is open to him. The Rangers have already announced that Lundqvist's No. Players who combine the skill and character that Lundqvist had don't come around very often, particularly at such a high level. Hail to the King, baby — what else can you say? Not a subscriber? Sign up today to get the best features and analysis from the NHL and beyond.
Martin Brodeur didn't do it. Ken Dryden didn't do it. You could argue that each respective netminder's team was good enough to get the job done before a Game 7, and that would be a fair statement. Getting back to the point at hand, Lundqvist has completely turned around the Rangers' fortunes with a victory, so is it finally time to put the notion that he isn't a playoff goalie to rest? As mentioned above, Lundqvist's moniker has been a target of opposing fans and critics for years.
Common refrains include "King of what? He has no Cup! After a bad loss or a series in which the New York Rangers failed to get the job done, Lundqvist was openly serenaded with tweets and comments that turned his regal status of King into Queen among other things. All of this speaks to the notion that Lundqvist is a great regular season goalie, but one who can't get it done in the playoffs.
When Lundqvist struggled early this season, fans completely killed the Rangers over his contract extension, and it wasn't a pretty sight in "Twitterland.
Lifetime in the playoffs, Lundqvist is with a 2. On the surface, these numbers look average and would reinforce the notion that Lundqvist is an average goaltender who can't kick it into a higher gear come playoff time. However, the Henrik Lundqvist of is vastly different than the youngster who got his feet wet during three playoff games back in He has grown as a goalie, and for the most part he has generally had lights out numbers.
The problem has been that the Blueshirts have not supported him offensively, yet he is left holding the bag of blame.
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