Washington Capitals goalie Henrik Lundqvist announced today he will not be playing with the hockey team this season due to a heart condition. The 38-year-old hall of fame bound netminder says it’s too risky for him to take to the ice, and that he’d be spending the next few months figuring out the best remedy for his condition. “It breaks my heart (literally) to share this news,” he wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. This is the first time Lundqvist has publicly shared having a heart condition.
Some tough news I need to share with you all.. pic.twitter.com/y7ZtAoo39Q
— Henrik Lundqvist (@hlundqvist35) December 17, 2020
This season was to be Lundqvist’s first with the Capitals, after a historic 15-year career with the New York Rangers. “For the past 2 months, I’ve been so inspired by the opportunity to play in DC and committed to my game, spending every day at the rink to prepare for the upcoming season. The news was very difficult to process, but after the last test result earlier this week we knew there was only one way to go from here,” Lundqvist wrote.
Lundqvist, known over the past 15 years as “King Henrik,” is known as one of the greatest goalies of his generation, owning every Rangers goalkeeping record, in addition to a few NHL and Olympic records. Capitals teammate Ilya Samsonov will likely fill in for Lundqvist’s absence when the season begins in January.
The Capitals released their own statement showing support: “Our players’ health is of the utmost importance, and we stand behind Henrik’s decision. We want to wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
