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King Henrik’s five greatest moments with the New York Rangers

By Scott Esposito

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: Henrik Lundqvist #30 and Mats Zuccarello #36 of the New York Rangers celebrates after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in Game Six to win the Eastern Conference Final in the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2014 in New York City.Rangers defeated the Candiens 1-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: Henrik Lundqvist #30 and Mats Zuccarello #36 of the New York Rangers celebrates after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in Game Six to win the Eastern Conference Final in the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2014 in New York City.Rangers defeated the Candiens 1-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Henrik Lundqvist has provided many great moments for the New York Rangers over the past fifteen years. Here are his five greatest.

When the New York Rangers took Henrik Lundqvist in the seventh round of the 2000 Entry Draft with the 205th overall pick, the Swedish-born goalie seemed to be an afterthought as opposed to thought of as their next franchise netminder.

In fact, of the 204 players selected before “The King”, twenty-one were goaltenders, including Union College standout Brandon Snee, picked by the Rangers at 143rd overall, and Rick DiPietro, drafted first overall by the New York Islanders.

Hindsight is 20/20, but Lundqvist proved the best of the bunch and by a lot.

Flash forward to today: “The King” owns Rangers’ records for wins (459), appearances (887), minutes (51,818), shutouts (64), saves (25,610), and assists (26). He also holds the team’s playoff marks for appearances (128), wins (61), and shutouts (10).

Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy in 2012 and his 459 wins rank sixth among all-time NHL goalies. The only accolade missing from his NHL resume is a Stanley Cup championship. As you know, his best chance at winning the Cup came in 2014, when the Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Finals in five games.

Still, “The King” was a major reason the Blueshirts won the conference title that spring, posting a 13-11 record, 2.14 goals against average (GAA), and .927 save percentage (Sv%). He had just one shutout, but it was timely, as his 18 saves gave New York a 1-0 series-clinching win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game Six of the Conference Finals.

Although Lundqvist and his Rangers teams fell short of winning hockey’s Holy Grail, he certainly produced his fair share of great memories (and stole plenty of games) for the Rangers and their fans. Here’s a look back at his five greatest moments as a Ranger.

Why just five?

I like a challenge and, frankly, it’s too easy to list his achievements according to his age or uniform number. Second, does anybody truly care that his 2.43 GAA ranks 23rd all-time in the NHL? Or that his goals saved above average is183? I don’t think he even knows of these stats. If he does, he probably couldn’t care less about them. I can picture him shrugging and saying, “I’d rather have won the Cup.”

Next: Lundqvist’s five greatest moments with the New York Rangers.

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