Henrik Lundqvist Retires After 15 NHL Seasons

It wasn't the farewell he probably wanted, but it was definitely a career to remember.

After a 15-year NHL tenure, Henrik Lundqvist has called it a career after 15 years. Lundqvist spent his entire career with the Rangers, but signed with the Washington Capitals last year before heart issues kept him off the ice.

A seventh-round pick by the Rangers at the 2000 NHL draft, Lundqvist defied the odds to become a star in the NHL. Lundqvist has the most wins (449) and shutouts (64) in franchise history and won the Vezina Trophy back in 2012. 

A five-time NHL All-Star, Lundqvist was almost always one of the top goalies in the game, even if he couldn't deliver a Stanley Cup to broadway.

Lundqvist retires as the sixth all-time league leader for wins with 459, 17th in shutouts with 64 and eighth in games played with 887. 

While Lundqvist never won the Stanley Cup, he did come close in 2014 and was generally strong in elimination games. Lundqvist had a 6-2 record with a 1.11 GAA and .961 save percentage in Game 7s and from 2012-15, Lundqvist had a 15-4 record in elimination games.

At the international level, Lundqvist won Olympic gold with Sweden in 2006 silver in 2014, the last time NHLers took part in the event. Lundqvist was vital to Sweden's championship effort in 2017, joining the team partway through to help secure the win.