Henrik Lundkvist will get his well-earned day at Madison Square Garden. The New York Rangers announced on Monday afternoon that they will put his number 30 into the rafters on Jan. 28. That game is against the Minnesota Wild where the King’s close friend, Mats Zuccarello, is a member of the team.
“Over the franchise’s history, only 11 Rangers players have earned the honor of having their numbers raised to the Garden rafters, where they forever serve as inspiration for others to follow,†said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman, MSG Sports. “For 15 seasons, Henrik Lundqvist embodied everything the Rangers organization stands for – excellence, commitment, pride, and leadership. It is only fitting that his No. 30 will now join the legends who have come before him.â€
Lundqvist played for the Blueshirts for 15 seasons (2005-06 – 2019-20), appearing in 887 games and accumulating a 459-310-96 record, along with a 2.43 GAA, a .918 SV%, and 64 shutouts. The Ã…re, Sweden native left the Rangers holding over 50 team records, including wins, appearances by a goaltender, shutouts, save percentage (min. 75 appearances), playoff appearances (by either a skater or goaltender – 130), playoff wins (61), playoff shutouts (10), and playoff save percentage (min. 10 appearances – .921).
Lundqvist ranks 6th on the NHL’s all-time wins list, 8th on the NHL’s all-time appearances list, and 17th on the league’s all-time shutouts list. Lundqvist’s 459 career wins and 887 career appearances with the Rangers are the second-most a goaltender has recorded with one franchise in NHL history. Lundqvist has earned more career NHL wins than any other non-North American-born goaltender.
In 2011-12, Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s Best Goaltender and was named an NHL All-Star five times (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019).
“It was an honor to play with Henrik for four seasons and watch his career evolve as I’ve moved through the organization,†said Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury. “Having his No. 30 etched in history forever is so well-deserved for a man who has done so much for the city of New York, on and off the ice. It will be a special moment for the entire organization.â€
Lundqvist will join Rod Gilbert (7), Ed Giacomin (1), Mike Richter (35), Mark Messier (11), Brian Leetch (2), Adam Graves (9), Andy Bathgate (9), Harry Howell (3), Jean Ratelle (19), and Vic Hadfield (11) as the only Rangers whose jersey numbers have been retired by the organization. Gilbert was the first Ranger to have his number retired on Oct. 14, 1979, and was joined by Giacomin’s No. 1 on Mar. 15, 1989, Richter’s No. 35 on Feb. 4, 2004, Messier’s No. 11 on Jan. 12, 2006, Leetch’s No. 2 on Jan. 24, 2008, Graves’ No. 9 on Feb. 3, 2009, Bathgate’s No. 9 and Howell’s No. 3 on Feb. 22, 2009, Ratelle’s No. 19 on Feb. 25, 2018, and most recently Hadfield’s No. 11 on December 2, 2018.
That game will be at 8:00 pm with the pregame ceremony beginning at 6:30 pm.
Henrik Lundqvist hit Twitter to let the fans know how much he is looking forward to the day.
This post was published on 2021-09-27 12:25