The Discovery has Shark Week in the middle of the summer to both fascinate and terrify us while we plan our family outings the local hunting grounds/beaches. Here at eDraft we have Goalie Week where we will roll out a series of the top netminders in the NHL.
These heavily padded pariahs of the scoresheet have been known to make even the most dynamic sniper blink. So refined are their talents that even the most dynamic dangler can see his shootout percentage look like a utility infielder’s batting average.
We’ll lead off with one of the world’s best: Henrik Lundqvist. Not only does the New York Ranger backstop boast every major trophy aside from a Stanley Cup, he looks more like James Bond than, well, James Bond when he rocks a tuxedo.
Take a deep breath ladies, he has a twin brother. The lesser talented Swede (Joel)might have some other discernible talent besides being Swedish and handsome, but he can’t hold a torch to his dynamic other half. Joel Lundqvist toiled in the Dallas Stars system for about three years before deciding to take his talents back to mother Sweden and Frolunda. That’s a team, not an ice cream flavor.
Henrik stayed stateside and resides on Broadway as the longest (and best)running show since Cats. While making the Rangers a Stanley Cup contender every season that he has strapped on the skates, King Henrik has unofficially staked his claim to be the best goaltender on the planet. A five time nominee for the Vezina Trophy, Lundqvist was finally given the award in 2012.
An interesting dynamic for the Rangers and their show stopping goalie is the new man behind the bench, Alain Vigneault. He replaces the defensive-minded John Tortorella as the coach of the Rangers and looks to bring a more free flowing, up-tempo style to Madison Square Garden. While it should be more entertaining for the fans in New York, the days of Rangers diving in front of every shot look to be over.
What this means for Lundqvist is more activity in goal and a heftier workload. It’s only a wrinkle in the life of a maestro however, Lundqvist has been superior since his first taste of NHL hockey back in 2005. In his debut season King Henrik played in 53 games, posting a record of 30-12 with nine overtime/shootout losses.
His GAA was a paltry 2.24 with a save percentage of .922. Throw in a Vezina Trophy nomination and a “Welcome to the NHL” to the 24-year old rookie. If not for a couple of kids named Crosby and Ovechkin, you could add a Calder Trophy to the mantle.
Fast forward eight years and Lundqvist remains at the top of his game. A slow start by the Rangers and their stud goalie almost cost them a playoff spot in a shortened season. The reigning Vezina winner put the team on his back during the last two months of the season and literally stole the first round series away from the Washington Capitals and their Hart Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin.
The upcoming season will be a welcome reboot for the King and his Rangers. The new coach behind the bench is a more favorable presence in the locker room and could be just the thing for a talented, veteran roster. The Rangers could not score when they needed to last year, relying far too often on their magician between the pipes. Without the watchful, and often hateful eye of their former coach, these Rangers could truly become the Stanley Cup contender they were supposed to be last season.
If the goals come, then so will the wins at Madison Square Garden. They have one of the best in the business wearing 30 on his back. Without the rest of his team piled on back there, expect even greater things from Henrik Lundqvist.