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Thank you, Sam Rosen
2 months ago
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Humble King Henrik Talks Nickname, Upcoming Season, Olympics and More
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NEW YORK -- You never forget the first time you come to New York City. Henrik Lundqvist is no different.
The New York Rangers goaltender may be an icon in the city that never sleeps. But there was once a time when the bright-eyed then-23-year-old from Are, Sweden (pop. 1,417, per the 2010 census), was first taken by the constant bustle of Manhattan. Eight years later, New York is home and the 2012 Vezina Trophy winner is looking forward to what could potentially be the biggest season of his illustrious career.
But he still remembers that first time in New York.
"Everything is louder, it's more. More energy, more people, more traffic, more stuff to do. You can just feel it when you come into the city. The energy is different compared to back home," Lundqvist told NHL.com. "Now it's my everyday life, it's my routine to go to the Garden and play. It makes me feel more comfortable and it's easier for me to perform. If you asked me 10 years ago, I would think a couple of times about it. Now it's my life. I think you need to get used to it, so you're more comfortable with everything but still appreciate it."
Lundqvist may appreciate his place in New York. But "appreciate" doesn't begin to describe how the city feels about him. He's a star in a city with a long history of sports legends. That tends to happen when you collect 276 wins (second most in Rangers history), play in three All-Star games and win an Olympic gold medal, all with his signature grace.
With 30 wins in his first NHL season, it wasn't long before the 2000 seventh-round pick (No. 205) became New York royalty. He even has the nickname, King Henrik, to prove it. Granted, it's a nickname he begrudgingly accepts, so just don't expect Lundqvist to call himself "King."
"I would never. It's good if people understand why it's King Henrik. It's an old king name, that's how it came about," Lundqvist said. "It still makes me a little uncomfortable. It's because of my name and not my actions. If my name wasn't Henrik, it would not be King Henrik, it would be something else."
That reticence to get too wrapped up in all the fanfare typifies Lundqvist. In fact, the intense Swedish kid who captured the city's heart has only mellowed with age. Some of that comes with becoming a father. Lundqvist's daughter, Charlise, was born in 2012 and the goaltender admits the experience of raising a young family has tempered some of his signature intensity. But it hasn't altered his will to win.
"Hockey is always going to be so important to me, but there are moments where you might become your own enemy because you put too much pressure on yourself. To have something else going on in your life helps you find that balance. To have a kid, I think it makes me more relaxed," Lundqvist said. "I was more intense when I was younger. But I'm still going to be super intense when it comes to the game. I love to compete and practice. It hasn't changed. I appreciate where I'm at, but at the same time I know I have to work real hard to stay there."
Entering the 2013-14 season, he may actually have his work cut out for him. The pillar of a Rangers team that came within two wins of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, Lundqvist leads a club with a new coaching staff that is hoping to improve on last season's second-round playoff exit. The team will also be competing in two outdoor games at Yankee Stadium as part of the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. Played against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 26 and New York Islanders on Jan. 29, the two contests will be something new for an athlete who has seen almost everything his sport has to offer.
Those games will be a prelude to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Lundqvist hopes to win gold for Sweden. He's done it before, on the 2006 team led by veterans like Nicklas Lidstrom, Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin and Daniel Alfredsson. But only five members of that gold-medal team attended this year's Swedish orientation camp, so Lundqvist will now be looked upon to help lead the next generation of Swedish stars like Gabriel Landeskog, Jonas Brodin and Erik Karlsson.
"Back then I was very young on a team with a lot of veterans. Big names, big players. It was my first year [in New York]. There were so many things happening in my life that were new to me," Lundqvist said. "Now I kind of know what to expect, but I also feel more responsibility. I feel the same way here in New York. The first years you try to fit in and get a spot and then keep your spot. The longer you stay here, the more you feel for the organization and everything that goes on around it. You feel more obligated to help out. That's a good feeling."
It took a little while, but Lundqvist has become a master in handling the pace of New York. All that patience, intensity and experience could be put to the test this season. After all, he's tasked with nothing short of starring in two outdoor games, capturing Olympic gold and propelling the Rangers back to the Cup Final.
Naturally, he can't wait to get started.
"I'm excited for the new coaching staff to come in and see what they can do. The outdoor game is going to be amazing," Lundqvist said. "Playing at Yankee Stadium is something we talked about for years that we wanted to do here. Now it's going to happen twice. I can't wait. Then the Olympics, which is a great experience. A lot of different things happening."
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=683955&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Monday, September 23, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Henrik Lundqvist Will Be on "The Chew" 9/23/13
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 - "Fabulous Fall Feasts" - New York Ranger Henrik Lundqvist and Mario Batali make Acorn Squash Ravioli in Sugo Finto, and it's the "The Chew" crew vs. this Swedish hunk as the co-hosts take turns doing a shootout against the goalie. Boris Kodjoe ("Real Husbands of Hollywood") joins Daphne Oz and Clinton Kelly in the kitchen.
http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Scoop-THE-CHEW-Week-of-923-on-ABC-20130920
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Henrik Lundqvist Mr. Porter "The Look" Photos & Interview
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Mr Henrik Lundqvist must have driven past the white frontage of Gothenburg's Villa Överås countless times, but until today he'd never stepped foot inside. "It felt like an old Gatsby mansion," he says later, recalling the house's grand, sweeping staircases, stucco walls and Art-Deco furnishings. "Very stylish. Very glamorous."
He could just as easily be describing himself. The suave New York Rangers goaltender is a regular feature on international best-dressed lists, and is just as well known for his looks. While there's no denying that he could pass for older than his 31 years, he remains, to quote Derek Zoolander, "really, ridiculously good-looking", with piercing eyes, an envy-inducing head of hair, and chiselled features that, if anything, the first signs of age have served only to accentuate. "I'm having to play the Clooney card," he laughs. "The beard has definitely got a bit more grey recently. I'm not sure why - I guess I had to grow up pretty quickly.
He may have a point. After leaving his home for Gothenburg at 16, Mr Lundqvist spent seven years breaking Swedish ice hockey records and forging a career that would lead him to the National Hockey League (NHL) and New York at the age of 23. It has been a rapid rise, but in many ways he hasn't looked back. "Eight years on, I've really come to feel comfortable in the city," he says. "You can be yourself. I wasn't your typical New Yorker when I arrived - but then I don't know what a typical New Yorker is. You have everything there: all styles, all backgrounds."
Mr Lundqvist is due for a new contract at the end of the coming season, and while no formal decisions have yet been made, his tenure as goaltender at Madison Square Garden, the home of the Rangers, looks set to continue. He clearly loves New York, and he has unfinished business with the Rangers, having yet to win ice hockey's greatest prize, the Stanley Cup - but there's something else that might prove to be the deciding influence.
By the end of his current contract, he'll be 32, and arguably entering his prime. Under new terms agreed upon in the resolution of the 2012 NHL lockout, contract extensions are now limited to eight years - while new contracts are limited to seven. That means that the Rangers, his current team, have the ability to keep him playing past the milestone age of 40. As one of the hottest goaltenders in the league, it's an ambition that he has every reason to chase.
"I'd love to play for that long. Being a goalie is more of a mental challenge," he explains. "It's less physical. It's about how you think, how you deal with pressure. I'm a pretty intense, focused guy - I don't just show up and play. So hopefully I have a few years left!" Some things just seem to get better with age.
http://www.mrporter.com/journal/journal_issue131/1#1
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Henrik Lundqvist on Contract: "We're working on it"
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New York Rangers star netminder Henrik Lundqvist is entering the final season of his current contract but sounded hopeful Friday that something will be worked out.
It's expected that his agent, veteran Don Meehan of Newport Sports, will reconnect with the Rangers' brass sometime next week.
"We're working on it right now," Lundqvist said Friday during an interview with ESPN.com. "If we don't have it done when the season starts, I think we'll have a discussion how to move forward, if we wait or not. Because the most important thing here is that I'm focused on playing and nothing else.
"I'm just really excited right now, the camp is around the corner, it's a really good feeling. I don't want any distractions, I just want to go out and play as well as possible. That's why you have an agent, they're talking, we're hopeful of figuring something out. There's no pressure to get it done this summer, because we do have another year on the contract. But yeah, of course it would be nice to have it done."
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/hockey/post/_/id/14516/lundqvist-on-contract-were-working-on-it
Friday, September 6, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
See a Photo of Henrik Lundqvist's New Pads
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Picture courtesy of @NHLonNBCSports Twitter account. It was taken during todays NHL media day.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Behind the Scenes Photos of Henrik Lundqvist Filming "The Game 365" Today
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Today Henrik filmed a new episode of "The Game 365" with Fran Healy on the Hudson River.
Pictures courtesy of the Rangers head of PR, John Rosasco's, Instagram account.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
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