Washington Capitals goaltender Henrik Lundqvist announced via Twitter he is having open-heart surgery. In the announcement, the 38-year-old said the surgery is for an aortic root and ascending aortic replacement and an aortic valve replacement.
— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist) December 28, 2020
Capitals Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist Having Open-Heart Surgery
Lundqvist spent 15 seasons with the New York Rangers before having the final year of his contract bought out by the team. The announcement was made in September and he signed with the Capitals right after the free agency season started. His one-year, $1.5 million deal covered the 2020-21 season.
During his NHL career, he has put up a 459-310-96 career record in 887 career appearances with 871 career starts. He also has a 2.43 goals-against-average, and a .918 save percentage, with 64 shutouts. Lundqvist has a career 61-67-0 record in 130 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, with a 2.30 goals-against-average, and a .921 save percentage, with 10 shutouts.
Last season, the 38-year-old played in 30 games with 26 starts for the New York Rangers. He put up a 10-12-0 record with a 3.16 goals-against-average and a .905 save percentage with one shutout. In the playoffs, he went 0-2-0 with a 3.52 goals-against-average, and a .901 save percentage, with no shutouts.
On December 17th, the Swedish goaltender announced he wasn’t going to play during the next season due to a heart condition. He didn’t give any further details but Lundqvist said he was studying the best course of action. Apparently, the surgery was the best option. The goaltender says recovering is his focus and did not give any other details.
Statement from the Washington Capitals on Henrik Lundqvist pic.twitter.com/PUvwVKTo0n
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 17, 2020
Ever since the first announcement about his condition, the entire hockey community has been supportive of Lundqvist’s decision to step back. The Swedish goaltender is a model and an icon for the NHL community. He is not only one of the best players from his generation, but also a great person off-ice. The player has used his social media to thank all the love and support shown by the fans.
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