The New York Rangers announced on Monday that they will retire goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s No. 30 at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28 during a game against the Minnesota Wild.
The pregame ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, an hour-and-a-half before the scheduled 8 p.m. puck drop.
“Over the franchise’s history, only 11 Rangers players have earned the honor of having their numbers raised to the Garden rafters, where they forever serve as inspiration for others to follow,” Rangers owner James Dolan said. “For 15 seasons, Henrik Lundqvist embodied everything the Rangers organization stands for – excellence, commitment, pride, and leadership. It is only fitting that his No. 30 will now join the legends who have come before him.”
Lundqvist is arguably the greatest netminder in franchise history, winning the 2012 Vezina Trophy, appearing in 887 games while posting a 459-310-96 record, a 2.43 goals against average, a .918 save percentage, and 64 shutouts.
He owns over 50 team records, including wins, appearances by a goalie, shutouts, save percentage (min. 75 appearances), playoff appearances, playoff wins (61), playoff shutouts (10), and playoff save percentage (min. 10 appearances). That included a trip to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final where the Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings.
Lundqvist also ranks sixth all-time in NHL history with those 459 victories, eighth on the NHL’s all-time appearances list, and 17th on the all-time shutouts list.
“It was an honor to play with Henrik for four seasons and watch his career evolve as I’ve moved through the organization,” Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said. “Having his No. 30 etched in history forever is so well-deserved for a man who has done so much for the city of New York, on and off the ice. It will be a special moment for the entire organization.”
He’ll join an elite list of Rangers in Rod Gilbert (7), Ed Giacomin (1), Mike Richter (35), Mark Messier (11), Brian Leetch (2), Adam Graves (9), Andy Bathgate (9), Harry Howell (3), Jean Ratelle (19), and Vic Hadfield (11) as the only players whose jersey numbers have been retired by the team.
