Henrik Lundqvist has had the Vezina Trophy on his mantelpiece since 2012, when he was selected by NHL general managers as the league’s best goaltender.
Now, the King has been named a finalist for an honor that might carry even more meaning to the charity-minded Swede. That is the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded to “The player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy contribution in his community.”
The Rangers goaltender, Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Wild winger Jason Zucker are the finalists for the trophy, which will be presented at the NHL’s awards extravaganza in Las Vegas on June 19, two days ahead of Round 1 of the draft in Vancouver. The vote will be cast by a select committee of senior NHL executives, including Gary Bettman and Bill Daly.
Lundqvist, who has often professed his love for New York since first arriving in 2005, has backed up his words with deeds. He and his wife, Therese, have made it an unspoken mission to give back as much as possible to the couple’s — and family’s — adopted second home.
Together, the couple in 2014 founded the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation, whose HLundqvistFoundation.com homepage includes this message from the Lundqvists: “Some of us get to take things like health, education and financial well-being for granted. But they’re far from guaranteed for many. The Henrik Lundqvist Foundation’s goal is to help people all over the world who face these kinds of challenges. Support HLF, and together we’ll do just that!”
According to a release from the Rangers, the foundation and its four charitable partners have raised $2.5 million toward that end, with direct “grants and commitments of nearly $1 million supporting children’s health and education.”
The caring, 37-year-old Swede has been the official spokesman for the Garden of Dreams Foundation. According to the team, Lundqvist has hosted approximately 1,230 children and their families at games. It is commonplace for the goaltender to meet and interact with his guests in the locker room after he has finished with his postgame interviews.
Win, loss, regulation, overtime, shootout, it doesn’t matter; invariably, there is Lundqvist surrounded by children.