Henrik Lundqvist may be considered one of the greatest New York Rangers of all time but now he’s been immortalized among the other greats in NHL history.
The NHL announced that the former Blueshirts’ superstar goaltender has been named to the Hall-0f-Fame class of 2023 Wednesday afternoon.
It’s Lundqvist’s first year of eligibility.
“Grateful and extremely honored to be selected to the Hockey Hall Of Fame. Thinking of all the great players in the HHOF that inspired me as a kid. Feels amazing to be included in this special group,” Lundqvist said in a tweet following the announcement.
Nicknamed “The King,” Lundqvist changed the fortunes of the Rangers after seven straight playoff-less seasons for the Original Six franchise. He helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013-14 along with playoff appearances in 11 of 12 straight seasons.
Lundqvist retired as the Rangers’ all-time leader in games played, wins, saves, and shutouts during the regular season. His best performances came in the playoffs though when the Vezina winner set team records in shutouts, saves, and wins. He is the only goaltender in NHL history to record eleven 30-win seasons in his first twelve seasons and also holds the record for most wins by a European-born goaltender in the NHL.
In total, the Swedish-born star won 459 games in 15 seasons with the Rangers, while recording a save percentage of .918. He’s sixth on the all-time list among goaltenders in wins and seventh in saves.
Lundqvist is the 37th goaltender to be named to the Hall-of-Fame and the 61st person to be inducted as a former member of the Rangers. He’s the first to be given the immortal honor since Eric Lindros in 2016.
