The New York Rangers announced Wednesday morning that the organization would be buying out the final year of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s contract.
The 38-year-old Swedish hockey icon has played the entirety of his 887-game NHL career with the New York Rangers. Hank led the Blueshirts to within three wins of a Stanley Cup in 2014 and leads the organization in with the most regular season (459) and playoff (61) wins all-time.
Lundqvist posted his goodbye message to the Rangers’ organization and fanbase Wednesday in a five-part series via Twitter,
“Thinking of all the great teammates I got to play with as a Ranger. So many good players, fun characters, great people that made the past 15 years such a blast.
Thanks guys🙏🏻
No team at this level will ever function without a great support system from its staff.
You guys make it work every day and I’ll miss all of you! 🙏🏻❤️
An extra-big thank you to my mentor and coach for the past 15 years, Benoit Allaire.
You made it fun every day!
Playing for a franchise with such passionate and committed fans makes all the work you put in worth it. Winning at @TheGarden (Madison Square Garden always gave me so much energy, joy and satisfaction. Thank you for all your love and support, Ranger fans!
I will NEVER forget you! ❤️
This great city has now been my home for a long time. So much to love about this place. Sure, it’s not always perfect but pretty close;) I know we are facing some challenges as a city so let’s do what New Yorkers do best, come together and get back to where we want to be!
Be kind, respectful and supportive of others. Like one of my good friends always says, “good things happen to good people.” In some ways, I feel like I grew up here and I will forever appreciate you, New York City! I’ll see you around! 😎
They’ve watched me come home happy, they’ve watched me come home sad but they’ve always been there to support me, no matter what the result.
Love you guys!
Time to figure out what’s next…”
It isn’t exactly clear from Henrik Lundqvist’s goodbye message whether or not he plans on retiring or signing in the offseason with a Stanley Cup contender in one last effort to be part of a championship team.
If I had to guess, Lundqvist ends up taking one last shot at the Cup with a franchise like the Colorado Avalanche, a team that has multiple championship-caliber players but lacks the stability in net needed to go the distance.
But for now, time will tell.
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