New York Rangers: The King in his castle at the all-star game
The outstanding goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist has spoiled the New York Rangers for more than a decade. This weekend, Lundqvist got his fourth all-star game nod.
When a player hangs up their skates at the end of a career there comes the time to assess legacies and impacts to their franchise. Franchise players are the pinnacle of professional sports, the public face of an organization both on and off of the ice. At Madison Square Garden, the Rangers have had the great privilege of having one of the best faces in the entire world.
The impact of Henrik Lundqvist on the organization is one of an organizational shift. Prior to the Swedish goaltender’s arrival in New York, the team was in the midst of a black hole. From 1998-2004 the Rangers averaged an abysmal 73.9 points per season and finished no higher than fourth place in the old Atlantic Division.
A 23-year-old from Are, Sweeden shuttered this prolonged period of abysmal hockey. The Rangers started the first post-lockout season with Kevin Weekes as the team’s starting goaltender. On October 8th, 2005 Lundqvist made his NHL debut in a 3-2 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. In that game, the goaltender made 24 of 27 saves. The franchise was saved from the mediocrity that night.
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The path to NHL greatness was not always clear for Lundqvist. Seventh-round picks do not typically make an impact at the NHL level. For perspective, the Rangers have only had four fifth-round picks or later (Jesper Fast, Ryan Hollweg, Petr Prucha, Carl Hagelin) make the NHL roster after Lundqvist.
The King
The difference between a good NHL goaltender like Jake Allen and a great one like Lundqvist is sustained success. There has never been a goalie before Lundqvist that had 13 straight 20 win seasons in their career. The real shame of it is that he would have had 13 straight 30 win seasons if were not for the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
During Lundqvist’s time with the Rangers, the team has only missed the postseason once. The remarkable thing about this feat is that aside from the Lundqvist the team has had few stars. The goaltender’s tenure in New York can be defined by a just a handful of great players.
Early on, he had peak Jaromir Jagr in front of him winning MVPs and having 100 point seasons. The problem lies in the fact that the team’s solution for every single problem has always been Lundqvist. In the entirety of his career, the organization has had two teams that were capable of winning the Stanley Cup. There were outright bad teams around Lundqvist that he dragged to the postseason.
The only appearance that Lundqvist has in the Stanley Cup final was a virtuoso performance. The 2014 cup final was a masterstroke of goaltending brilliance, just to get there Lundqvist had to will his team through three rounds of grueling postseason play. In the final itself, the Rangers were outmatched even though it was a close series. Four of the five games went to overtime and it was Lundqvist who carried the brunt of the work.
This season
For the Rangers this season, there was one stretch of good hockey. From Halloween night until mid-December they looked like an improved version of last year’s team that made it to the second round. During that six week period, the team won eleven of fourteen, this was all smoke and mirrors.
The grand magician for those wins was Lundqvist and his superb goaltending. The team has fallen off of a cliff for the last twenty games going into the all-star break. The Rangers have an abominable three regulation wins during that stretch. However, on a nightly basis, it has been Lundqvist keeping the team in these games.
The early season offense that was masking a terrible defense has dried up. This leaves a goaltender making forty saves every night for an offense that can bearly muster up two goals. The Rangers only being a single point out of a playoff spot is a testament to Lundqvist’s determination to win.
It is fitting that at age 36 Lundqvist gets his fourth all-star game nod. He is one of the signature players of this generation of hockey. Along with Crosby and Ovechkin, Lundqvist has been one of the preeminent dominant players in the league since that first post-lockout season.
The rest of this season will be a measure of Lundqvist’s resolve. The rumor mill of large-scale change to the roster is surrounding the Rangers. If the goaltender continues his stellar play in spite of the challenges he faces, he will further cement his legacy amongst the all-time greats.