Henrik Lundqvist Swedish Interview (2010)

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Henrik Lundqvist

Born: 2 March 1982.
Position: Goalkeeper.
Club: New York Rangers.
Height: 185 cm.
Weight: 90 kg.
Clubs in his career: First club is Järpen IF, he played seven matches for the Premier Division Mölndal, otherwise it was just Frölunda before he moved to New York.
Published in the NHL: Inside of her fifth season with the Rangers.
Annual salary: 6.8 million U.S. dollars.
Last of the squad: World Cup in Quebec 2007th Sweden was fourth.
Honors: National Championships 2003, 2005 and Olympic gold 2006th
Another highlight in life: First game against twin brother Joel in the NHL. And Henry is very happy that Joel never scored on him in the NHL.


NEW YORK. In Madison Square Garden crowd roared "Henry, Henry, Henry".
From his balcony, he has magnificent views across Manhattan.
Sometimes he was jamming with a rock star from the E Street Band.
And John McEnroe recently came forward and shook hands and praised him.
But when Henke Lundqvist lose a match play, not the case in which any role. Then he becomes so angry that people are afraid of him.

February 7, 2010
The peace talks will save the honor of the Russian Olympic
Tough columnist Larry Brooks of the New York Post has written that "King Henry, and Gaborik is lipstick on a pig in this New York Rangers."
And not just Brooks saw the rest of the players in this team.
When I see a workout with the New York Rangers may coach John Tortorella - who may be the toughest of Swedish coaches seem like Sunday school children - a complete freeroll.
- WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!
Tortorella forcing players to go back and forth across the ice several times.
An employee of the Rangers office at the same workout with a few friends, smile stiffly and do not really know what to say. Or wherever he should go.
Tortorella is not satisfied with the pace, not satisfied with the customization, not satisfied with anything.
- Should it be so damn difficult. You suck. It's embarrassing.
He crushes a club over a GOAL.
There will be no new penalty loops for ice skating from GOAL GOAL.
- Do it here right now. Should it be so damn difficult.
The players may make the same exercise again.
Nissen office next to me seems to exhale.
Too early, I think.
And indeed.
A felpass later - then crashing hell away again.
- What are you doing? Do you see anything?
Tortorella is completely insane.

Then he stops training outright. No one may remain on the ice, which some players always do. Everyone must enter the dressing room for yet another name-calling.
Office Nissen strains nervous that he will get autographs and try to smile. It looks more like a grimace.
When the media can get into the locker room, I go directly to Henke.
- There were features of this training.
Henke smiles.
- The players were of course terrified of making mistakes, I say.
- Or too tired to cope fit right ... but we must be better. And every match is important for us now. We must not lose more.
The night before I sit in Madison Square Garden and enjoy a Swedish duel between Henrik Lundqvist and Nicklas Bäckström, but it is not the end, I hope.
When Washington makes 3-2 with just under five minutes left to play, then I say to myself:
- Damn it.
Not that I am rooting for the New York Rangers, but for me to talk to Henrik Lundqvist after the game.

I was long convinced that the male losers and hopeless interviewees after a loss game than Peter Forsberg - I would never have to deal with.
Then I got to know Henrik Lundqvist.
How nice any time under normal circumstances. Not funny at all for losses.
I like to feel sorry for a reporter in the Rangers dressing room after the game. He stands six feet from Henke, who only sits long and just stares at the floor, before he starts tearing off strips of tape and protective and throw everything on the floor.
Reporters want to go forward and have a deadline to fight with as well.
But he dare not.
He dares not really.
The poor fellow walked up and down, hesitates, sighs quietly and I think to myself, "the wrong question in this mode and Lundqvist explode".
Finally nods Henke. The nervous reporter steps forward and one minute later Henke is surrounded by 18 journalists.
He blames the loss on himself.

- Winning goal in the final period. That's when I'll make the big save. That's when I'll win points for us. I did not.
In reality, Rangers lost to the team was too bad offensively, and it can not even count how many times Henke won matches for his team.
It's like this mule to goalkeeper you want in an OS.
Henry has once told me that he has stronger feelings for losses than gains, that he hates to lose more than he loves winning.
Sure, Canada and Russia are favorites in the Olympics.
But with Henke in the form can Sweden win the gold as well as Czech Republic won in Nagano, thanks to Dominik Hasek.
Backstrom is happy after the game. Even if he had even more fun for a while ago when he scored two goals in Henke, one from mid-plane.
- Henke messe me the next day and said type "Go ahead for the invitation," Nicklas has told me.
When I get Henke to myself I do not say much more than "see you in the morn before the workout, huh? As we decided?"
- Yes, but I do not have much time. It may go fast, sizzles Lundqvist, and I leave him alone.

He is calmer when we are sitting at a diner in the vicinity of Henry and her partner Therese Andersson powerful apartment in midtown Manhattan.
Now you can talk to him. And he gives me all the time I want.
- You came here for a little bad timing. I am always sorely disappointed after the loss. And I should have saved the last goal against Washington.
- Come on. You can not blame yourself for the loss. You fired eleven shots on goal the first two periods. You had a suite of more than 20 minutes from the first into the second period without a single shot on goal. You dare booked because you were too poor forward, I say.
- We lost. And the key saves at the end of matches ... I have to make the key saves. So it is just.
Like this, he has been throughout his life.
Therefore, he has also an Olympic gold and a six-year contract with the New York Rangers worth over 250 million.
Even as a little boy at home in Åre, he could become enraged at the setbacks.
And it happened that he and twin brother Joel got into violent fights with each other.
Who won fajta?
- Those who were most angry. We had surplus energy both. And we hated to lose. Already in kindergarten. It sometimes happens that one of us, who lost in something, became so angry that he ran and hid in the woods, so when mom or dad came to fetch us they were looking for on of us was gone. But Joel has always been my best friend and when we grew up we always did the same things.
Henry admits that he as a young man was keen on its own successes, to keep the zero and himself being the best.
Now it's different.
The team comes first. His own individual success is not important in this context. And I would argue that precisely this stubborn attitude is why he is one of the world's best goalkeepers.
- I can concede goals if we won. If we lose it does not matter how good I was. I never take lightly the loss. Only profits count. Victory or loss makes a big difference to my wellbeing.

That he had this season has been both praised and sawn and had a couple of heavy periods is not he thinking so much about.
He thinks only the next game. And that there must be victory.
On top, he as always been one of the league's absolute best goalkeepers.
During the more laid-back practices Henke has been mocked for being Swedish and especially when he recently tested his Swedish equipment: Shin guards, gloves and mask.
- Yes, I have some paths tions from all possible directions. But I give back too. And I can get to meet four of my teammates in Vancouver: Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan in the United States, Marian Gaborik in Slovakia and Olli Jokinen of Finland. Then it Tortorella to coach the United States.
Tortorella can have fun with you too?
- Yes, he has said he is also a part. And yes, it would be a bit especially if we got to meet the United States. Last Olympics, we were more players from the Rangers and the Czechs Martin Straka and Jaromir Jagr was talking very much about the Olympics before. Afterwards, it was ruggigt nice to come back to New York with the gold medal around his neck.
Henke runs not from the expectations of Swedish team in the Olympics. Not at all.
- It is clear that we believe in ourselves. We have a good group. Many was the last time. We know what it takes to win. But for that to flow well.
Henkes team mate Aaron Were telling me that Henke's good to give back.
- Yes, we are told: "Yes, yes boys, I've already an Olympic gold medal," a few times this season.

Were celebrates his Swedish team mate.
- There is a huge luxury for us to have Henry on the team. And when we lose, it is never his fault. I think he is the world's best goalkeeper. He is hard on himself after the loss, I let him be a little while, then I try to break the ice.
Experienced hill Wade Redden are also excluded after losses.
- Henry has been difficult to place losses. He is too hard on himself. He can not save us all the time. He had to take it a bit easier after losses.
Have you said to him, I ask.
- No ... I should have done it. I'll do it.
Several weeks later I learned that he did not address it.
Poor Redden, he's not daring, I think.

How do you target Henke, then? How do the talking in the opponents locker room for meetings with the Rangers?
I checked it with several other Swedish NHL players and got the same answer:
"Shoot high. Over Henkes glove, there is sometimes a gap there when he goes down on his knees."
What he says about it?
- If I agree with? Well. Kollar man goals I let in are the same number of low and high. And all goalies covers at least pick, it's easier to save with stroke or leg protectors. But yes, this is something I've worked with in recent years. It's about patience. That does not go down too early.
Then of course it is not weakness people talk most about in terms Lundqvist.
But how good he is.
And so it was also almost always.
Henke himself tells of the praise that made him overjoyed.
- I was 13 years and played a youth tournament in Malmo. Then I was told that Pekka Lindmark said: "The guy will be fine." It sat. It was something I thought was very special to hear. From him. From Pekka Lindmark.
And it's not long ago Henke was at a bar in New York and others John McEnroe stepped forward, introduced himself politely and praised his goalie idol in his favorite team.
- It is clear that it was fun to hear it from McEnroe.

Another celebrity who likes Henke is drummer Jay Weinberg, son of legendary drummer Max Weinberg of the E Street Band, and the same man who was substituting for her father when Bruce Springsteen toured last.
Henke - who not only can play hockey, but also guitar - tend to jam together with the young Weinberg.
- We sometimes seen in a rehearsal studio in Manhattan. We got to know each other when I saw Bruce in Sweden and had come backstage.
And Yes, even Bossen have met the King.
- Bruce is very nice. And sports interested ... but he is rooting for New Jersey, "said Henke, a bit reluctantly, because the Devils are the worst rivals Rangers.
Otherwise, it is not as much nightlife as you might think of Lundqvist.
At home with your partner, Therese is best. The couple's apartment is huge, with rooms on both 42nd and 43rd floor with a hundred square meters large roof terrace, where they are going to build both a whirlpool and bar.
- It's my zone. Where can I just close the door and shut out the world.

"On the road", he is also a bit of a loner.
- I myself live. Has no roommate. And I most enjoy just being in the room, ordering room service and be on my own.
Few Swedes in the NHL - get players in the NHL at all - has kind of pressure on himself as he.
Just to be in a great goalie in the New York Rangers, is hard enough.
Then matched his tremendous hard.
And the Rangers have tried to cut down on his commitment off the ice.
- It's not that they need to baby sit me. Rangers organization will be understood how we should do to make it good. Then I have the responsibility of my role to talk to the media and participate in charitable events. There are a number of these businesses. But yes, it is easily too much sometimes.

In the last Olympics he was the best when it came to most. Critics have argued that he had in other contexts have been too tired in the case. So exhausted from the grueling match of a team that often worn by their goalkeeper.
- I do not agree with it. In Washington in the playoffs last year, I think I'm the best hockey of my life in several of the matches. Sure, my first year there was a significant difference in the playoffs, but then I was hurt also.
- Of course I feel I can play better - even if the last finals was good. And I was good in the seventh decisive match, then. Unfortunately we did not win it. But I can count on as long as we are not moving quite far in the playoffs, the snacks like this.
His team mates, who normally have to meet him in the NHL, is happy to have him on their side.
Despite Bäckströms goals from half-plane.
Henke said:
- Yes, you. That case. I know the hell what was happening. It was one of the strangest goal I let in. We had sat at dinner together the night before and then he said he never scored on me. Then he did two in the same match. And shot from half-plane misjudged me completely. But I could not even get angry. Just thought: What should I do about it?
- And we won the match, it was the main thing. So then I could laugh at it where the goal afterwards.

http://hockey.expressen.se/sport/os2010/ishockey/1.1873377/henke-forloraren-som-ska-bli-os-kung