Sunday, October 31, 2010
Lundqvist Wants 50 Shutouts
Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves for his first shutout this season, and 25th of his career. He got a little bit of help from the goal post late in the third period, when Mikhail Grabovski slipped the puck between Lundqvist's legs, and a lot of help from the players in front of him - the Rangers blocked 35 shots.
"When I reach 50, I'm happy," Lundqvist said of his shutout total. "Twenty-five is still a low number. It's always fun to have a shutout. It's a good feeling to accomplish something like that with the guys here. They played a big part of it."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2010/10/30/2010-10-30_henrik_lundqvist_makes_36_saves_as_rangers_shut_out_maple_leafs_get_goals_from_b.html#ixzz13uWOceOn
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Post-Game Notes and Reaction
* Henrik Lundqvist posted his 25th career shutout, and first of the season, stopping all 36 shots he faced in the contest to improve to 4-3-1 on the season, including a 3-1-0 mark on the road. With the shutout, Lundqvist passed Mike Richter, Chuck Rayner and Lorne Worsley for fourth on the Rangers’ all-time regular season shutouts list. He is now 3-1-0 in his last four starts, registering a 1.78 goals against average, .951 save percentage and one shutout over the span.
From Ranger Rants:
Lundqvist, asked what he thought was his biggest save, instantly remembered “the lucky one” that hit his pads as Mikhail Grabovski’s third-period shot went through his legs but off the post.
“I’m trying to be more compact,” Lundqvist said. “I’m happy with the way I played but you need some luck, too.”
From Blueshirts Blog:
SAVING UP: Lundqvist made 45 saves in a shutout against the Devils last season, but that game turned into a loss in a shootout at the Garden. Tonight’s 36-save performance marked Lundqvist’s highest total in a shutout win since March 30,2009, when he saved 38 shots in a 3-0 win over the Devils. It marked a career high for saves in a road shutout for Lundqvist, and was the highest save total in a road shutout by a Rangers netminder since Jussi Markkanen stopped 36 shots at Tampa Bay on November 25, 2003.
Three star selections
1st: HENRIK LUNDQVIST
2nd: DAN GIRARDI
3rd: BRIAN BOYLE
Lundqvist Credits Teammates For Record Shutout
“A game can change so fast, so I knew I had to keep it at 2-0 or else we could have trouble,” said Lundqvist.
Lundqvist finished with 36 saves to earn his 25th career shutout, moving him past Mike Richter, Gump Worsley, and Chuck Rayner into fourth place on the Rangers all-time list. The only former Rangers netminders ahead of him are Ed Giacomin (49), Dave Kerr (40) and John Ross Roach (30).
“I’m happy with the way I played, but the guys did a great job of blocking guys out and blocking shots, too,” said Lundqvist of his teammates who were credited with a season-high 35 blocked shots. “They came really hard at us the last 10-15 minutes, but we got skates and sticks in the way, which was huge.”
http://rangers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=542079
Henrik's Favorite Halloween Costume?
A Swedish Viking. He just said so on tonights pre-game show. Personally, if he's going to dress up as something Swedish, I think it would be cooler if he ever dressed as a Swedish fish -but that's just because they're my favorite candy. Are they even called that in Sweden?
Brillant ad, I just had to post it.
Anyway, I'm sure they'll be plenty of Henrik Lundqvist's out tomorrow. Happy Halloween, everyone!
Brillant ad, I just had to post it.
Anyway, I'm sure they'll be plenty of Henrik Lundqvist's out tomorrow. Happy Halloween, everyone!
Henrik Lundqvist With Braces?
I came across this old picture of Henrik as (I'm only guessing) a teenager back in Sweden wearing braces. I had them as a kid as well, so it's cool to see he had them too. At least he had them back then, unlike another NHL goalie in our area who had them as an adult:
Friday, October 29, 2010
Post-Game Notes and Reaction
•Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves in net and is now 3-3-1 on the season, including a 1-2-1 mark at MSG. He has now stopped 30 or more shots in five of his seven appearances this season.
From Rangers Report:
Henrik Lundqvist on tonight’s game… “It is very disappointing. It was a pretty good game. I thought we played pretty well. A lot of chances both ways. It is a tough way to lose a game. I thought we played pretty well. Their power play played pretty well. It is a little frustrating when you lose that late in a game when you have a chance to get a big win."
“It felt like I was on in the third and I felt I could help the team here get a point or two points, but not tonight.”
“They’re a fast team. They did a good job of hunting pucks down and knife through us. … but I thought we created enough chances to win this game. But unfortunately we came up short.
“I felt good. I had a good feeling that we could do this, we’d get a good win at home. But again we lose a game short-handed late in the game. It’s always tough to lose that way. But we definitely created enough chances to win the game. But, you know, we came up short and, oh, very disappointing.”
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Henrik Talks Fashion
The Ranger’s Henrik Lundqvist wouldn’t mind being a fashion intern like Sean Avery. “I like that side of the business,” he said at Hugo Boss last night. “You get to meet a lot of people, and it’s good because, you know, I have a hockey career for ten or fifteen years, I hope, and then I have to do something else, so it’s good to meet people and make the connect.” He got his first real lesson in fashion photography doing a recent shoot for Vogue. “The tricky part was I had equipment on, so I was pretty big and the girls were pretty short and tiny, so in order to be the right size in the photo, I had to move back and forward a lot.”
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/09/what_we_learned.html
Henrik Lundqvist & Fans Part Eight
Disclaimer: All of these photos were found at public sites; however, if you are in any of the fan photos and you would like me to remove a photo for you, do not hesitate to tell me as I will surely take it down for you. Also, as always if you would like to submit a photo of yourself and Henrik to the blog do not hesitate to e-mail me or post the photo on The Henrik Lundqvist Blog Facebook page.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Lundqvist: "Success Breeds More Success"
"I can feel we are playing with urgency and that we are together as a team," said The King, who improved his career record against Martin Brodeur to an astonishing 17-4-5.
"It's easy to question your game when you're not winning. But when you are winning by sticking together, it makes it so much easier to believe.
"Success breeds more success."
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/altered_skates_AKzPOyH6fZVIYfVJkuNA1I#ixzz13PcO31sS
Henrik at Picture Day?
Twitter user hashitsume just tweeted a photo of herself and Henrik at MSG during what I believe is the Rangers picture day. If so, it looks like the Rangers will be wearing their jerseys instead of suits in the yearbook this year.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Post-Game Notes and Reaction
•Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves to improve to 3-2-1 on the season, including a 1-1-1 mark at home. Lundqvist is now 19-7-5 with a 1.89 goals against average, .934 save percentage and four shutouts in 31 career regular season appearances vs. New Jersey.
From Rangers Report:
Henrik Lundqvist:
On a late shot that he thought had gotten through him
“It was deflected and instead of going in my stomach it almost went through my arm. I wasn’t sure I made the save or not, and it was almost like, for a second there, I thought it was a goal and my shoulders dropped a little. But the next second I realized the puck was in front of me.
“So you need some luck. Tight games, you need that extra bounce, and tonight we had it. But I think we earned it after working so hard the whole game and really, I think we played a solid 60-minute game.”
On the common thread:
“I think we played simple and hard. The guys have been working really hard and it’s been paying off. We’re just finishing checks a little more, and guys are skating a little harder, and a lot of blocked shots. We’re really paying the price the last couple of games and it’s great to see.”
From Rangers Rants:
“I think the last three games we’ve played a lot better,” Henrik Lundqvist said. “We are more in control and when the team is more in control, I feel comfortable with the way the team is playing in front of me.”
Three star selections
1st: HENRIK LUNDQVIST
2nd: RYAN CALLAHAN
3rd: BRANDON DUBINSKY
BRND: "Face Paint" with Henrik Lundqvist
BRND: "Face Paint" with Henrik Lundqvist: "Latest from the 'Face Paint' series features Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist as he details his latest grill and talks 2 of his fave masks in..."
Click on the above link to see a video of Henrik talking about his mask..
Click on the above link to see a video of Henrik talking about his mask..
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Post-Game Notes and Reaction
-Henrik Lundqvist made 35 saves, stopping each of his last 15 shots faced in the game’s final 27:33, to improve to 2-2-1 on the season and 2-1-0 on the road. Lundqvist has now turned aside 30 or more shots in four of his five appearances this season.
“Our third period was great,” said Lundqvist. “The whole game as long as we were 5-on-5 we played really well. It was important going into the third that we stayed disciplined, and we did that. We really played smart. It’s a great feeling to get the win here.”
http://rangers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=541408&navid=DL|NYR|home
From Ranger Rants:
“I mean, you think about it and try to figure out what you can do better,” Lundqvist said. “I thought my game has been pretty good but it hasn’t been good enough, obviously. I haven’t been winning. I feel like my game is right there. I just need to cut down on some mistakes here and there. It will make a big difference in the end. But you relax a bit more when you win and get a solid, 60-minute game.”
Friday, October 22, 2010
Is Lundqvist Starting Tomorrow?
From Ranger Rants:
John Tortorella has also said he wants to give Biron the opportunity to play in consecutive games if he plays well. And that he did in making 24 saves in his Rangers’ debut in Thursday night’s 2-1 win here in Toronto. Tortorella said after the game he didn’t know if Lundqvist would play in the back-to-back games and neither Lundqvist nor Tortorella would say who was starting at Boston. And Lundqvist genuinely seemed like he wasn’t sure. And Lundqvist also downplayed the notion that one of the reasons for him not playing Thursday night was for him to get a solid week of practice in.
“When you have two guys, sometimes you don’t have to look for reasons,” Lundqvist said. “Marty is a good goalie. It was time for him to play. But, yeah, it was a good time this week for practice and to focus on the details of the game.
“I don’t know what the plan is for this weekend,” Lundqvist said. “I’ll be ready when they tell me to play. It’s his choice. It is a little different having Marty here. It’s a different situation. It changes a little bit. Obviously, I like to play but, at the same time, in the long run, it’s good.”
Read more at:http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/rangerrants/
Video of Henrik Lundqvist Playing Golf in Sweden
Thank you to reader Kat for the heads up on this video. Can any Swedish readers out there translate Henrik's part?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Less Lundqvist Now, Could Mean More Later
Will seeing less of Henrik Lundqvist mean seeing more of the New York Rangers in the playoffs?
In theory, it works, given Lundqvist has played four straight seasons of 70-plus games, but went just two rounds after that and his club didn’t even make it last spring. He played the first four this season (1-2-1) before giving way to the newly signed Martin Biron on Thursday night at the Air Canada Centre against the Leafs.
“He needs to get in,” Rangers‚ coach John Tortorella said with a shrug. “We have a plan with Biron in terms of making sure he gets his time. We have to be really careful not get away from that plan when you get into a little bit of adversity.
“Sometimes, when you have Hank you want to come back with him. But this gives Hank a chance to work out and work on his game for four or five days. This is the game for Biron.”
Big workloads had mixed results for some NHL goalies when last April rolled around. Lundqvist, Martin Brodeur, Ryan Miller, Ilya Bryzgalov and Miikka Kiprusoff were all over 4,000 minutes but they either didn’t make playoffs or weren’t able to get their teams past Round 1. Evgeni Nabokov lasted until the Western Conference final, while relative newcomers Jonathan Quick and Craig Anderson won playoff berths for hitherto lightly regarded Los Angeles and Colorado, respectively.
And the final four Stanley Cup goalies included Jaroslav Halak, Michael Leighton and eventual champion Antti Niemi, all playing half seasons. Lundqvist needed no arm twisting in the summer when he heard that the 33-year-old Biron was coming down the Long Island Expressway to relieve him after a half year with the Isles.
“Playing 72 games is perfect for regular season, but if you want to play until June, you have to play less,” Lundqvist said in the summer.
Thursday night’s start was Biron’s first in a real game since early last April.
“I’ve been looking forward to this game since training camp ended,” Biron told a crowd of reporters from both cities on Thursday morning. “I’ve been playing close attention to what we’ve been doing and what other teams are doing. I’ve been working really hard in practice.”
With Biron making one start for every four of Lundqvist’s, the split should work out around 62-20 for the Swede. It could be more, depending on back-to-backs, though the lax travel schedule of the Rangers does not put too much stress on goalies who play on consecutive nights.
The other reason last night’s switch made sense was the apparent hex the Leafs have on Lundqvist. Toronto-New York games have been high scoring of late and Lundqvist’s .899 save percentage against the Leafs contrasts to Biron’s .912, much of that when he played for the Buffalo Sabres.
“I’ve played them in blue, I’ve played them in white, I’ve played them in green, (when) they had a St. Patrick’s Day jersey,” Biron said of facing the Leafs for the 26th time in his career.
http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2010/10/21/15780471.html
Lundqvist to get Rare Night Off Against Maple Leafs
TORONTO -- If the New York Rangers stick to the plan, this will be a game-day routine Henrik Lundqvist has to get used to.
The Rangers' top goaltender found himself on the ice at Air Canada Centre long after his teammates on Thursday morning, getting in some extra work with goaltending coach Benoit Allaire.
With counterpart Martin Biron scheduled to get the start against the Toronto Maple Leafs later in the evening, Lundqvist was eager to get some extra practice in.
The Swede has been a workhorse since entering the NHL -- he's appeared in at least 70 games the past four years -- but is expecting to see less work this season after New York brought in Biron over the summer.
"I don't know exactly how it's going to turn out, but the reason why they signed him is because they want me to play a little less," said Lundqvist. "I don't know what the number will be, 60-65 (games). We'll see, I have to perform and play well if I'm going to earn my minutes.
"I'm just going to work hard and whenever (coach John Tortorella) tells me to play, I play."
While four games is a very small sample size, Lundqvist has seen more action this season than in years past. The team has allowed an average of 35 shots per game -- five more than any other year he's played for them -- and his numbers have suffered a bit as a result.
The three-time Vezina Trophy finalist acknowledges that he's been slow to find his form.
Tortorella indicated that one of the factors behind starting Biron is that the coaching staff felt Lundqvist needed some more time with Allaire, the brother of Maple Leafs goalie coach Francois Allaire.
The two were on the ice for more than an hour on Thursday morning.
"Shape-wise I feel great," said Lundqvist. "It's just technically, you still have to work on a few things to get back to 100 per cent. That's why Benny, our goalie coach, is repeating a lot of stuff after practice. I take this week as a good week to practise hard."
Biron was quick to sign a two-year deal with the Rangers immediately after becoming a free agent on July 1. After a rocky season with the cross-town Islanders last year, he's hoping to take his game to "another level" on Broadway.
Despite playing behind one of the league's top goalies, the 33-year-old can count on getting a good chance to do that. The coaching staff is committed to giving Biron his fair share of starts.
"He needs to get in," said Tortorella. "We've played Hank the first four games here. We have a plan with Biron as far as making sure he gets his time (and) we've got to be really careful not to move away from that plan when you're going through a little bit of adversity.
"It's tough thing to do sometimes when you have Hank and you want to keep on coming back with him. But it gives Hank a chance to work out for four or five days here, and work on his game."
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=338173
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Henrik Lundqvist Swedish Commercial?
Can anyone from Sweden translate this video? Is it a commercial?
Check out this link for a Henrik Lundqvist game:
http://vegas.norweb.se/ansvarskampanj/
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Blameless Henrik Wants to be Better
Henrik Lundqvist was blameless on Colorado's three scores, yet when it was over The King said he needs to raise his game. Lundqvist has allowed 15 goals on 139 shots in four games (3.74, .892).
"It's not that I think any of tonight's were bad, but I have to find the way to cut down on the goals to give my team a better chance to win," said The King. "I've given up three goals or more in every game and that's not good enough.
"I need to be better. We all have to think about what we can do better to help the team and that includes me."
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/prospal_eyes_december_return_Rhy8qBvb8b6XLqdW3fjFPI#ixzz12qqhYhlh
Meet Henrik Lundqvist Video
Meet Henrik Lundqvist
Die Hard NYR FAN! | Myspace Music Videos
I just came across this old video that features Henrik from his rookie season. I actually remember seeing this video and the others of other Rangers on Garden Vision that year. Back in the Bobby Granger days. They should bring him back, his commercials were funny. I actually saw him at the Garden last season. Anyway, I would love to get the videos of Henrik that they play between periods that actually feature him talking about his favorite movies, tv shows, etc. If anyone finds them out there let me know.
Henrik Lundqvist Gold in the Net Hockey School Photos
The following photos were taken over the summer at Henrik's hockey school in Sweden. They were taken by photographer Ola Rockberg.
http://www.fotosidan.se/blogs/rockberg/54763.htm
http://www.fotosidan.se/blogs/rockberg/54763.htm
Monday, October 18, 2010
Post-Game Notes and Reaction
• Lundqvist turned aside 31 of 34 shots, including 16 saves in the first period, and is now 1-2-1 overall. Lundqvist has stopped 30 or more shots in three games this season.
From the Rangers Report:
Henrik Lundqvist:
On the struggle to score goals (again).
“It’s early. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. We just have to find ways to win here. Personally, I have to try to play better and cut down a goal here or there. I feel better for each game, but it’s not enough. I have to try to improve. You know, they were good. Their power play was really good. They didn’t have that many chances, but they moved the puck really well.
“It’s tough. We came back there after a tough start. We really battled back and had a good game going. Then two quick ones in the third. We just have to keep working harder. That’s the only option right now.”
On the next few weeks without Gaborik and Drury:
“You know, whoever’s in … we can’t really focus on who’s out. We just have to do it together and what’s good about this team this year is we have four lines going. I don’t think it’s that much focus on the first line. … That’s what I see as a good thing.
“Obviously, it’s key players. But there’s nothing we can do right now other than just focus on the next game, the next practice, and get better.”
“I don’t know what else to say. We want to win at home, especially, so we have to try to think what we can do better, what I can do better, and come back on Thursday.”
On the difficulty of losing games late, on power plays.
“A loss is a loss. It doesn’t really matter how you lose. You’re not getting the points, so that’s always frustrating. We’re right there. It’s been close games in the last five to eight minutes and it’s gone the other way. So we have to stay positive that we’re close and with some luck we could have gotten a lot more points right now, but that’s not the case.”
Lundqvist Trying To Find a Rhythm
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Injuries to Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury have forced the Rangers to alter their lineup. But nothing’s changed for Henrik Lundqvist.
"Whatever the lineup is, I approach it the same way," said the goalie, who’ll make his fourth straight start as the Rangers host the Colorado Avalanche tonight.
Artem Anisimov’s line with Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan will be the only one intact from the first three games. Left wing Alex Frolov will be put with rookie center Derek Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko and left wing Sean Avery will join center Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust on a new third line.
Meanwhile, coach John Tortorella is allowing his franchise goalie to establish rhythm though the light early-season schedule, though backup Marty Biron may start a game later this week with six games in 10 days starting Thursday.
Lundqvist’s numbers haven’t been great as the Rangers have started 1-1-1. He has a 3.96 goals-against average compared to his 2.34 career average and an .886 save percentage against .917 for his career.
But the Rangers’ defensive zone coverage was suspect in Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs and Monday’s 6-4 loss to the Islanders. Tortorella spent the bulk of Sunday’s practice and classroom time working on it.
"We don’t have to give up defense to create more offense," Tortorella said.
Lundqvist said he doesn’t care whether the games are freewheeling, as they’ve been this season, or tighter as was the case most of last season.
He just wants to find his mid-season form. Tortorella said Lundqvist was "much better" Friday than he was against the Islanders.
"With a couple of more games, hopefully you’ll really feel like you’re in it," Lundqvist said. "You just feel comfortable and make the right decisions. In the middle of the year, you look to get a couple of solid games, a couple of good wins. Now, you want to have that perfect game. I think my game is getting there. You don’t want to give up that many goals but you have to look at the big picture."
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/pro_sports/hockey/rangers/105156419_Lundqvist_trying_to_find_his_rhythm.html
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Post-Game Notes and Reaction
•Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 30 or more shots for the second time this season with 34 saves, and is now 1-1-1 overall on the season. Last season, Lundqvist posted 30 or more saves in 21 games.
From the Rangers Report:
Henrik Lundqvist:
On the interference-penalty calls this season:
“I think the referees are trying to find a new level. It’s very tough for the players. Some calls you understand, some you definitely don’t understand. Same for us. We’re trying to find a level where we feel comfortable out there, and I think the referees are doing the same thing. I think it’s tough for guys to know how to play and on what levels. Hopefully things settle down and guys know how to play without getting penalties.”
On the Armstrong hit that injured Gaborik firing them up:
“Yeah, we talked about that going into the third. First of all we needed to start playing physical and we did and it took us back in the game. They won a lot of battles in the first two periods, especially in the second period. I think that was key for us to come back. We started to play physical and it helped us.”
Henrik Models New Rangers Apparel
The Rangers Twitter account tweeted this photo of Henrik modeling a new hoodie. I think it's supposed to have a vintage look to it since this is the 85th anniversary season. Personally, I like it. It's also nice to see Henrik in some casual clothes. I think he looks great in this photo. If you're interested in purchasing the hoodie, it is available at all MSG team stores.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Henrik at Steiner Sports Photo-shoot
Pictures courtesy of Brandon Steiner's Facebook page
This is the partnership which enabled me to purchase Henrik's locker room name plate.
Henrik Lundqvist Searching For Rhythm as New York Rangers Get Off to Slow Start to Open Season
While many NHL teams go cannon-balling into the season, the Rangers' schedule only lets them dip their toes in the shallow end of the pool, with a stretch of five games in 14 days making it difficult for Henrik Lundqvist to get into the flow.
"We've only had two games, so it still feels like we haven't started really, yet," the goaltender said Wednesday in Greenburgh. "We're still looking to get into that nice rhythm."
That's important for Lundqvist, who has given up eight goals over the Rangers' 1-1 start. While he has made some breathtaking saves, he has also let some pucks into the net that he likely would stop had his timing been in midseason form.
With the Rangers not playing between Monday's 6-4 loss to the Islanders and Friday's home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, their schedule still has almost a preseason feel. The Devils, by comparison, played their fourth game last night in Buffalo.
"You didn't really get into a flow before you get a couple days off," Lundqvist said. "It's a long break here, but we've also got an opportunity to work on some stuff, so that's good. After this, it goes, so I'm looking to get into a nice rhythm."
When Lundqvist and the Rangers do return to the ice Friday night, they will be joined by their captain, Chris Drury, who missed the first two games with a broken left index finger. The 34-year-old center skated with top-line wingers Marian Gaborik and Alex Frolov in practice Wednesday, as Erik Christensen was held out after injuring his right leg in Monday's game.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2010/10/14/2010-10-14_henrik_yet_to_net_pace.html#ixzz12MTzoyY9
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Henrik Attends Launch of The World Childhood Foundation USA
Caption:
Therese Anderson and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist attend the Launch of The World Childhood Foundation USA Campaign on SIRIUS XM at SIRIUS XM Studio on October 12, 2010 in New York City.
I'll have more photos if they become available..