New York Ranger’s Henrik Lundqvist Nominated for Masterton Trophy

In a time when the New York Rangers are preparing for a return to play, one of their long time contributors on and off the ice has been nominated for an award. Henrik Lundqvist has been chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association as a nominee for the 2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

The Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Robin Lehner, then with the New York Islanders, was awarded the trophy last season.

Henrik Lundqvist has defined what class is as a member of the New York Rangers

While it has been a tough year for Lundqvist, he has handled his playing situation with the grace and dignity of someone who genuinely would identify with perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport. He has not whined publically about his lack of playing time and has gone out of his way to help his younger counterparts, Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev, into developing their skills.

Even before the pandemic hit, the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation has been an organization that has done much for many people. According to their website, the Foundation, through its fundraising efforts and community outreach, strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults throughout the world through education and health services.

The Henrik Lundqvist Foundation was founded in 2014 by Lundqvist and his wife Therese. After years of service through Madison Square Garden’s Garden of Dreams Foundation, including serving as a spokesperson since 2009, Henrik decided to create his own Foundation which runs its own HLF Young Ambassador Program but also partners with a few carefully selected community partners in New York City, Sweden and the Dominican Republic.

After the pandemic hit, he pledged $100,000 through his foundation to support Food Bank for New York City, a nonprofit that strives to end hunger in the city’s five boroughs. Lundqvist and his wife Therese’s donation fed 68,000 meals to 8,000 kids and their families in the area.