New York Rangers: The Beauty of Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist recently won his 400th NHL game for the New York Rangers. It’s time we properly appreciate him.

While Blue Line Station opts not to write too many appreciation posts, this is a special occasion. After all, we are New York Rangers fans. After all, Henrik Lundqvist is the New York Rangers.

One Fan’s Story:

Before the lockout I primarily attended Islanders games (being from Long Island) but did not have a favorite team. I did not feel particularly connected to any team or player. My friend told me to become a Rangers fan so I could discuss the games with him, so I did.

That’s how I was gifted never going into any game thinking my favorite team’s goalie was not good enough. Thus, I’m thankful every day my friend is a Rangers fan.

To sum up Henrik Lundqvist’s career in one feeling, it would be that. At no point must any Rangers fan go into any game feeling worried about Lundqvist between the pipes. Sure, some fans may have worried when Lundqvist struggled this season, but in the back of their minds they must have known he would figure it out. He’s Henrik Lundqvist. He always figures it out.

He’s Henrik Lundqvist. He always figures it out.

Rangers fans have been gifted more than 400 wins by Lundqvist, not including playoff victories.

While every fan has their own story about Lundqvist’s brilliance, mine brings me back to my first Rangers game.

I was a fan for over four years at the time, but hadn’t gotten to Madsion Square Garden yet. While I had seen Lundqvist play for the Rangers at the Nassau Coliseum, I was thrilled to see him play in his home blue uniform.

The game was played on a January night against a sub-par Tampa Bay Lightning team. The Rangers found the scoreboard early, then again soon after. Tampa Bay scored late in the first to narrow the deficit, but the Rangers responded quickly to take a 3-1 lead going into the 2nd.

That 3-1 lead turned into a 5-2 lead after two periods, and an 8-2 victory by the end of the night. Lightning goalie Antero Nittymaki stopped 15 of 20 shots, paving the way for Dustin Tokarski to make his NHL debut and give up 3 goals on 11 shots.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 21 of 23 shots to give the Rangers the win, but that wasn’t my takeaway.

Related Story: Top 5 Rangers-Islanders Moments in Lundqvist's Career

While it was a treat watching the Rangers score and score and score and score and score and score and score and score until I had the goal song impulsively coming blasting out of my lungs every time a shot got on net, I couldn’t help notice the difference between the Rangers goaltending and the Lightning goaltending.

Much like I couldn’t help but notice the difference between the Rangers goaltending and the Islanders goaltending in Rangers-Islanders games I had previously attended. Or the difference between the Rangers goaltending and their opponents when I watched games on TV.

To this day, I still appreciate Henrik Lundqvist for the same reason. So I’ll say it again. Every time the Rangers skate onto the ice with Lundqvist in net, there is not a worry in my mind about goaltending. What a wonderful feeling.

****

I’d like to wrap up this appreciation post with a statistic. Lundqvist’s first NHL start was on October 8, 2005. Since the beginning of the 2005 season, Lundqvist played the most amount of games in net every season for the Rangers.

Here’s every other team in the NHL, with how many starting goalies (based on most games played in an individual season) they have used since 2005:

Edmonton Oilers- 8

Tampa Bay Lightning- 8

Florida Panthers- 6

New York Islanders- 6

Ottawa Senators- 6

Philadelphia Flyers- 6

St. Louis Blues- 6

Toronto Maple Leafs- 6

Colorado Avalanche- 5

Columbus Blue Jackets- 5

Detroit Red Wings- 5

Montreal Canadiens- 5

Washington Capitals- 5

Anaheim Ducks- 4

Arizona Coyotes- 4

Buffalo Sabres- 4

Calgary Flames- 4

Carolina Hurricanes- 4

Los Angeles Kings- 4

Minnesota Wild- 4

Nashville Predators- 4

Vancouver Canucks- 4

Chicago Blackhawks- 3

Dallas Stars- 3

New Jersey Devils- 3

Pittsburgh Penguins- 3

San Jose Sharks- 3

Winnipeg Jets- 3

Boston Bruins- 2

Next: Finding a Spot for Lundqvist on the All-Time Wins List

Consistency, thy name is Henrik Lundqvist.