Long Live The King

Kevin Woodley | August 23, 2021 | 5 min read

Lundqvist's NHL debut in 2005-06 triggered a surge in Swedish goaltending talent, with 25 Swedish goalies reaching the NHL after just eight in the league's first 87 years.
Eddie Lack credits Lundqvist with inspiring an entire generation of Swedish goalies to pursue the position at the highest level.
Lundqvist's influence is so profound that his image appeared on the Swedish goaltending manual and as wallpaper on the phones and computers of younger Swedish goalies like Linus Ullmark.
Lundqvist proved that elite work ethic — not just natural talent — defines greatness, a lesson emphasized by those who trained alongside him.
Swedish goaltending's rise in the NHL is directly traceable to one player serving as a visible, sustained role model at the sport's highest level.

~ When InGoal Magazine began reflecting on the career of Henrik Lundqvist after he announced his retirement Friday following heart surgery that kept him out of the NHL last season, it was hard to know where to start but clear it would take more than one story. We began where his playing partners all suggested, by celebrating Lundqvist’s ferocious work ethic and dedication to his craft, a great lesson for all goalies that the ones who make it look easy rarely take it easy in practice. In Part 2, we look at Lundqvist’s role in his native Sweden, where he inspired the next generation of goaltenders

It’s not hard to find the impact that Henrik Lundqvist had on Swedish goaltending.

Just ask the goalies who have followed him to the NHL.

“He’s inspired a whole generation in Sweden,” said Eddie Lack, who played 143 NHL games over six seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils, and with Lundqvist at the 2017 World Championships. “For me and for most Swedish goalies it was huge having someone that came from Sweden and become a superstar right away. He broke a lot of ground for the rest of us. He showed a lot of people what Swedish goalies can be and I think that he inspired so many young athletes to start playing goalie.”

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