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Talk about the ultimate male-bonding moment between two professional hockey players.
Former Rangers winger Sean Avery says that when it comes to pressure situations, there was nothing quite like the conversation he had with then teammate Henrik Lundqvist prior to a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“There were many conversations where the two of us would talk about him being a father. There was fear attached to that like I think there is with many men," says Avery with a laugh. "I don't know if this is too much information, but the question becomes when to have the baby. With sports, the schedule is a big thing.
"It's an interesting conversation for two 30-year-old men to be having in Carolina the night before a game over dinner — when Hank should try to plan his fatherhood."
Avery says fatherhood has been nothing but a good thing for the 31-year-old Lundqvist, a new chapter that balances the goalie's uber intense nature.
"Henrik's ability to focus is probably better than anybody I've ever seen," says Avery, who co-owns Tribeca restaurant and bar, Tiny's, with Lundqvist and calls the goalie one of his closest friends. "He has something that you can't really explain. It's not a level that a lot of people can identify with. It's actually unbelievable that somebody can be this focused. The tougher the game, the better he plays."
When Avery does visit with Lundqvist, they never talk hockey, as Avery updates him on business matters — besides the restaurant, both men are invested in social media venture called Twtmob (tweet mob).
"Henrik's also an entrepreneur. He's obviously involved in a restaurant with me, and he has probably more endorsements than a lot of hockey players," says Avery. "He's started becoming interested in investing in different companies and understanding them. Not only did he just write a check (for twtmob), like most athletes do, he started to learn and understand what the company actually did."
But Avery knows that Lundqvist has a lot of hockey still left in him, too, and hopes that a Stanley Cup title is in his friend's future.
"I'm definitely happy for him and he's been a close friend for a long time," says Avery. "I want to see him win, too. I don't think that he's going to be satisfied unless he gets a championship, no matter how many Vezinas he wins or how many times they chant his name at the Garden.
"They call him ‘The King,’ and it's extremely fitting. Other than the fact that he hasn't won a championship, I'd say he's definitely the best goalie I've ever seen."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/avery-pulling-hank-torts-article-1.1346409#ixzz2TVTuisdn
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist attempted to put to rest any fear that an injury to his left shoulder is something that potentially could hurt his chances of playing in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS). "It's under control," Lundqvist said after practice Monday. "I landed on the ice awkwardly and it hurt a little bit. It's under control." Lundqvist appeared to hurt himself after extending his left arm to cover the puck just above the slot with 4:52 remaining in the third period of Game 2 at TD Garden on Sunday. He needed some extra time from the officials to gather himself and flex his arm a bit, but he stayed in the game and was on the ice for the entire practice Monday. He indicated that he didn't even think about sitting out practice. "Everybody is sore," Lundqvist said. "It's the playoffs; you can't just sit out if it's hurting a little bit. It happens and you just have to make sure you maintain and you do the right things to keep it good."
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=671405&print=true
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