Henrik Lundqvist may have never lifted the elusive Stanley Cup, but that doesn't change the fact that he's retiring as one of the top goalies the NHL has ever seen.
Backstopping the New York Rangers for his entire 15-season career, Lundqvist strung together one impressive campaign after another, accumulating several notable accolades and moments along the way. Let's take a look at seven of the most memorable.
The King denies Briere in Winter Classic
Up 3-2 with time winding down in the 2012 Winter Classic against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Rangers looked well on their way to winning the outdoor game. But in the dying seconds with Philadelphia applying pressure, Ryan McDonagh was whistled for covering the puck in the crease - gifting the Flyers a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds left on the clock.
The Flyers selected Daniel Briere to take the shot. With the game on the line, Lundqvist didn't crack under pressure, coming up with a huge save to secure the victory for New York.
Lundqvist finally secures Vezina
Lundqvist was a perennial Vezina Trophy contender for most of his career. He was nominated for the award in each of his first three NHL seasons from 2006-08 but never managed to come out on top.
He wasn't nominated again until 2012 when he went up against Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick. But the fourth time was clearly the charm, as Lundqvist was finally voted the long-overdue winner thanks to a 38-19-5 record, a sparkling .929 save percentage, and a 1.97 goals-against average. Lundqvist garnered his fifth and final Vezina nomination in 2013.
Hank earns career win No. 400
Only 13 goalies in NHL history have hit the 400-win mark, and Lundqvist became one of them with a victory against the Colorado Avalanche in 2017. He was the first European-born goalie to reach the mark and the fastest NHL netminder to do so, needing just 727 games. He joined Martin Brodeur and Tony Esposito as the only goalies to win 400 games with one franchise.
Lundqvist retires sitting sixth all-time in wins among goalies with more victories than any other non-Canadian NHL netminder.
Lundqvist helps Rangers reach Stanley Cup Final
Lundqvist and the Rangers ran into a hot Montreal Canadiens squad in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final. Entering Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead, New York needed a win to clinch its first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1994.
The contest was still scoreless when Lundqvist made an incredible twirling save on a redirected shot from Thomas Vanek near the end of the second period. The stop clearly sparked the team in front of him, as Dominic Moore scored two minutes later for the eventual game-winner and series-clincher.
Etched in Rangers record books
It seemed inevitable that Lundqvist would end his Rangers tenure as the franchise's leading netminder in most regards. On March 18, 2014, he secured his 302nd regular-season win with the club in an 8-4 thumping of the Ottawa Senators, officially eclipsing Mike Richter as the winningest goalie in franchise history.
Lundqvist finishes his career leading all Rangers goalies in games played (887), wins (459), saves (23,509), save percentage (.918), and shutouts (64). It's safe to say nobody will touch some of those records anytime soon.
Sweden snags gold in Turin
Early in his career, Lundqvist helped lead his native Sweden to a gold medal at the Turin Olympics in 2006. He started six games at the tournament, surrendering just 12 goals and recording a .907 save percentage.
Facing rival nation Finland in the gold medal game, Lundqvist delivered a fantastic performance, stopping 25 of 27 shots and making several highlight-reel saves in the third period to keep Sweden on top. He would also help Sweden secure a silver medal in Sochi in 2014.
Lundqvist dethrones Hasek
Dominik Hasek was one of the first European-born goaltenders to make a significant mark in the NHL and is considered one of the best goalies to ever suit up in the league.
But on New Year's Eve in 2016, Lundqvist backstopped the Rangers to a 6-2 victory over the Avalanche to earn career win No. 390 - surpassing Hasek for the most regular-season wins by a European goalie.
