"It's definitely a different game now," Lundqvist said. "What's more fun is just to hear old stories -- how they traveled, how they approached things and the little playoff stories they had, but in the end it all comes down to where you talk about respect and honor and the good things about this organization, and they're so good at keeping it. Having a night like tonight really shows it."
Lundqvist has a better understanding than most about that tradition. As a clear fan favorite, he is seen by many in a line of Ranger goalies that includes Giacomin and Mike Richter, who both have their numbers hanging from the Garden rafters.
Being a goaltender is among the most pressurized positions in all of sports, and being one in a city like New York only adds to the weight each Ranger carries on his back when he mans the crease. Few are the number that can understand what Lundqvist experiences when he takes the ice.
"Henrik Lundqvist and I feel like we're old friends," said Giacomin, who played goalie for New York for 11 seasons. "I've only met him three or four times, but every time I see him, he glows and I glow. It's a special bond.
"When I put that uniform on, I stepped on the old Madison Square Garden on 49th street, I stepped on that ice my rookie day, and I was in heaven. This is what I try to tell these players now. When you put that uniform on, you've made it. Now, it was hard to make it, but it's even harder to stay on with a team."
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=543393
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