PHOTO: Bildbyrån
This weekend, Henrik Lundqvist is elected to the hockey Hall of Fame.
Ahead of that honor, the goalie icon is back on the ice – but it wasn’t entirely obvious.
– I didn’t think I would put on the equipment again, says Henke to Sportbladet.
Henrik Lundqvist, 41, is one of the greatest Swedish hockey players of all time. The former goalkeeper played a full 15 seasons in the New York Rangers and is a big icon in the club. After Henke finished his career, his number, 30, was retired by Rangers.
Lundqvist’s comeback
It was the summer of 2021 that Lundqvist was forced to put the skates on the shelf after he was diagnosed with a heart defect that required surgery. Since then, there hasn’t been much time in a hockey rink for Henrik. But before he is elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame this weekend, the Swede is back on the ice.
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In connection with the ceremony, according to tradition, a match will be played in which Lundqvist will participate, but also several former hockey players. Peter Forsberg for example. The match will be Henke’s first since he ended his hockey career in 2021.
The goalkeeper has already tested and trained before the game, and was surprised by the good feeling on the ice.
– Above all, I have realized that there is something very liberating about focusing on a single thing. The puck. It happened automatically when I tested a little and I felt that “yes, this is how it is”. So simple, says Lundqvist to Sportbladet.
Henke’s fear
The 41-year-old says that the brain and body reflexively remembered the art of acting as a hockey goalie.
– It is as if the system has been programmed in a certain way for many years. For the very first few minutes it might have felt a bit odd, but then I got into it pretty quickly. It was also the case that…before the heart said no, it felt technically and physically better than it had done in several years, and it’s not that long ago. But most of all I reacted now, as I said, to how it felt to lock the focus on just stopping the puck again.
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Lundqvist also reveals that it was not entirely obvious to participate in the match. There were some clouds of anxiety before the idea of playing.
– I actually didn’t think I would put the equipment on again and didn’t imagine it would be so much fun, I was afraid it would hurt my knees and feet. But it’s been fantastic now that I’ve tested a bit before this, says Henrik to the evening newspaper.
Brave of you Henke! Feel free to share the article and write your tribute to the icon!
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