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Henrik Lundqvist is, by most accounts, one of the very best hockey goaltenders of all time. He is a Vezina Trophy winner, a three-time All-Star, and an Olympic gold medalist for his native Sweden. He is the only goalie in NHL history to record 30 or more wins in each of his first seven seasons. The man they call King Henrik holds the Rangers records for wins, shutouts, playoff wins, and games played. He also has the clutch gene, winning six playoff game sevens in a row—another record. But he is also an undisputed New York icon, a Scandinavian transplant who has embraced all the city has to offer.
That includes a bit of its distinctive style. He describes his look as clean, but with an edge—a balancing act between Swedish minimalism and NYC grit. So while the man can famously wear the hell out of a (perfectly tailored) suit, he's recently started embracing a more dressed-down aesthetic from time to time. Here, the TAG Heuer brand ambassador tells us about his personal style evolution, his proudest moment on the ice, and why good clothes can be a gateway drug into the world of watches.
You and your twin brother, you started on the same youth team, right?
Yup.
Is it true that when the coach asked who wanted to play goalie, he raised your hand for you?
Yeah, he did. I mean—we're twins. Growing up, we did everything together. We were the type of twins that finished each others' sentences. I'd start saying something and he'd finish it, and the other way around. So yeah, he just knew I wanted to play in goal.
And you guys started playing professionally together, too, right?
Yeah. We played together at every level. Junior team, national team, pro team back home. The first time I did not have him on my team was when I moved here, to New York, when I was 23. So it was a little different, to come here without him, you know? Growing up, we had every class in school. Every day we saw each other. But now it's a big change in our lives.
Speaking of New York—you've been here a decade, right?
Yeah, it's my 11th year now.
Do you feel like a New Yorker these days?
I don't know when you can say you're a New Yorker. But I absolutely love living here. I love the atmosphere, I love the things you can do, the opportunities. Obviously the biggest thing is to be a part of the Rangers organization. They've been so good to me ever since I got here. So I really enjoy being here.
One thing I always find remarkable about goalies is the incredible reflexes. Is that something that you realized you had before you started playing the game, or is that something you developed?
Sometimes I don't know if I have that great reflexes. It's more about reading the situation, reading the shot, and understanding what's going to happen. You do a lot of analysis. When you see the play develop, you try to be a step ahead of the game all of the time. That's really important to me. That's a big part of my game: thinking and analyzing and trying to be a step ahead. But no, when you start out, you just think it's fun. You don't realize the mental aspect of the game when you start playing in goal as an eight-year-old. When you turn 15, 16, you start to play more important games. And the pressure—that's when you realize, OK, there's a big part of the game that you can't practice out on the ice.
What's the toughest kind of shot for you to deal with? Is it when your view is obstructed, when it comes through somebody's legs, when it's deflected?
A lot of times it depends what happened right before the shot. If you're late getting set for the shot, for example. But obviously, if you're screened and it's hard to see the shot, that's tough. And deflections. A hard shot might look like a great save sometimes, but a lot of the time it's easier to catch a hard shot with a clear view than a soft shot with a deflection or a screen, because it's harder to read.
Who's the toughest forward you've faced?
There are a bunch of players in the league that stand out. I think [Alex] Ovechkin is one of the best goal scorers of all time, not only right now. If you look what he does—if someone was able to do that 20 years ago, I think they would have a lot more goals. It's very impressive to see someone who plays like him score that many goals. He's just very determined when it comes to scoring chances and trying to get the puck in the net.
What are some of your proudest moments on the ice?
Winning two championships in Sweden, the gold medal in Torino for Team Sweden. Making it to a Stanley Cup Final—that was a big moment, too. All those big games you play when everything is on the line. You feel so much excitement, and also so proud when you pull it off. And we've had a lot of them over the last few years.
How'd you start working with TAG Heuer?
Well, I've always been interested in fashion. I've never been a huge watch guy, but I think it's been growing on me the last few years. I looked at TAG and the ambassadors that they're working with. They have great athletes. We started talking and I felt like it was a great fit.
You mentioned that you've been into fashion for a little while, and that you've recently been getting more into watches. Why now, at this point in your life?
As you get older, you learn more about yourself, about your style, what you like, what you don't like. As a young kid, you try a lot of different things and you fail a lot. You make a lot of mistakes. But that's how you learn, too. But then again, nice suits, watches, it's not free. Obviously as a young kid, when you don't make a lot of money, it's harder to get those types of things. So I think coming here as a 23-year-old, it was very refreshing to see the different styles in New York. Back home, people are more the same.
You come from a country that has such a revered perspective on fashion, especially in modern menswear. How do you take what Sweden has to offer and blend it with the fact that you've been a New Yorker for over ten years?
Well I definitely get my base, my foundation, from Sweden. But when you're here for a decade, of course you get a lot of inspiration from different types of styles and people and backgrounds. And the street, obviously, where I think that's something that's changed with my style over the years. I'm more of a jeans-and-t-shirt, sneakers kind of guy now than I used to be. I still like to dress up. I like suits. But in the summertime, I really enjoy wearing a T-shirt, jeans, maybe a leather jacket. A more relaxed look.
You have your own line that you sell at Madison Square Garden, right?
Yeah, Crown Collection. The brand I'm working with in Sweden is called Bread and Boxers, and that's more like T-shirts, loungewear. It's very clean, the fit is great. And that's why I love it. No logos or anything like that. But then the Crown Collection is more of a fanbase thing, and I've been giving all the money to charity over the years. I try to have fun with it.
So which watch do you prefer? What's your go-to, everyday wear?
Well I have a few Carreras from TAG Heuer. That's definitely my favorite from the brand. I have a few of them in different colors and different styles, too. But it's the clean look. That's definitely my favorite right now.
That seems like a prevailing theme in your style. Clean.
Yeah, I like clean. Sometimes, less is more. Not too many things going on. Still with an edge, though.
Sweden meets New York.
Yeah, yeah. That's right.
http://www.esquire.com/style/interviews/a42457/henrik-lundqvist-interview/
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