His beloved Rangers great Henrik Lundqvist said fans approach him almost every day in New York City, but he hopes they don’t flock to him.
“It makes me feel comfortable. You know, they give you space, which is one of the big reasons I love living in New York City,” the former goalie said. He spoke to the Post ahead of the Rangers’ attempt to sweep the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2. Saturday night round series.
“You want to play somewhere where people care and are excited about hockey and the team. But at the same time, they allow you to live a pretty normal life.
“They recognize you on the street, but they move on,” said the Hall of Fame goaltender and subject of the new Netflix documentary “Open Heart.”
“You might give them a thumbs up and keep walking. That’s New York for you and I love it there.”
The documentary, which will be released May 17, chronicles the Swedish native’s rapid rise to fame in the Big Apple, where he played 15 years with the Rangers.
When the team brought in a young goaltender to rebuild, he signed with the Washington Capitals in hopes of winning his first Stanley Cup, but a heart diagnosis abruptly ended his career.
Lundqvist, 42, said he was aware he had a leaky heart valve, but didn’t realize the extent of it until he had gained the fitness he needed to start with his new team.
Viewers can hear the actual audio of a phone call from a doctor telling him not to play after the surgery required to repair a valve and aorta.
“It was definitely a call I’ll never forget,” he recalled.
He thought he could ignore the doctors and return to the rink – and the film was originally conceived as a comeback story.
“I love the game so much . . . and I really wanted to prove that I could play well.”
However, he suffered a setback due to inflammation around his heart, leading to his retirement.
The father of two daughters, aged 11 and nine, said it was a “huge moment” to be able to bring his wife and children back to the Garden ahead of his jersey retirement in 2022. Especially since the last game was during the pandemic.
“The Rangers’ last game was in the 2020 bubble playoffs, and it was a very strange game,” Lundqvist said. fashion iconwas once named. the most stylish athlete At the New York Fashion Week Style Awards.
“I really felt like something was missing in my heart. So to be able to spend one last moment with my fans after all these years really felt final.”
Lundqvist, who is currently an analyst at MSG Networks and TNT, declined to give any predictions for the playoffs, but said, “In my opinion, this is the best time of the year…spring and the playoffs.” It’s hockey.”
In the documentary, he also talks about being nicknamed “King Henrik” by Post reporter Larry Brooks early in his rookie year.
“You know, when it starts happening, you definitely think it’s going to go away. But it actually didn’t,” he said.
“King is always a very difficult nickname to live up to. So I try to have fun with it.”
