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Much is still unclear ahead of the NHL's playoffs this season, and many have been waiting for the last to head over to North America. Henrik Lundqvist travels back today. He left New York in March, after having less playing time than any other year in the NHL.
"Yes, how do you go into this," he says, quieting.
- You have not believed that it will happen, that you should go back and play in the middle of summer. But it seems to be the case now, says Lundqvist.
Together with a bunch of other NHL, KHL and SHL players he has been on ice for two months now. There have been camps and other things in Slottsskogen in Gothenburg, where we meet him before departure back to the USA.
Unclear future
The only thing the NHL players really know for sure is that they must be in place on July 10 when the team's training camper starts.
- For so many years, there has been a pretty clear plan for how things will happen, what will happen in the future. But I think there are a lot of question marks right now, says Lundqvist.
- The Corona situation means that our situation as a hockey player can change quite a bit.
Henrik Lundqvist warms up, changes, laces the goalkeeper skates and threads on the skate protectors in a small dressing room in Frölundaborg. The key was hidden above the door of a pipe and the few showers that fit have surgical blue shower curtains in plastic. He refills his water bottle in one shower.
The environment is as far from a dressing room in the NHL as you can get. And at the same time so close to the foundation of Swedish sport.
The skate protector has wheels
- When you are at home in the summer we often change here and then you have to go on the asphalt. And I have pretty sharp skates so I go through the skate protectors in a few days and then the rails will be destroyed. So I saw some guys who had these roller covers and thought "can I test". They are flexible, you can still say, says Lundqvist.
He rolls in full gear against training this morning. Finding new roads. Towards a future that is uncertain.
After the playoffs, Henrik Lundqvist has one year left on his long contract with the New York Rangers. Having held the position as an obvious first-timer for nearly his entire NHL career, this spring he wasn't even always switched to a match.
- My own situation with Rangers after 15 years is a situation you have to deal with after this playoffs. See how they think and ...
The thought pause becomes long.
- With that also comes a lot of questions about my future and yes ... everything around.
https://www.svt.se/sport/ishockey/henrik-lundqvist-valdigt-manga-fragetecken
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