New York Rangers: Debating Henrik Lundqvist vs. Mike Richter

In a must-win game, who would you start for the New York Rangers in goal, Mike Richter or Henrik Lundqvist?

The New York Rangers went over 50 years between Stanley Cup victories until they broke the ice in 1993-1994. From there, they haven’t won a cup since. They are a perennial playoff team but have only gotten as close as the finals since 1994. The titles have been few and far between.

Although the Rangers haven’t been good at winning a multitude of titles, what they have done well is select goaltenders. Since the 1989-1990 season, there has only been one year that didn’t include either Mike Richter or Henrik Lundqvist in net. Through the years, the Rangers have had issues scoring (especially the John Totorella years), but they have been able to stop the puck well for a long time.

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These two men spent their careers racking up wins and big saves for the Blueshirts. Being that they were back to back in team history and were successful, a question arises. If you had to choose a goalie to win a big game, a game seven for example, who would you choose, Richter or Lundqvist?

Let’s explore the debate:

The regular season stats are, in a lot of ways, not close. Richter’s regular season record is 301-258-73, while Lundqvist’s is 613-405-76. His goals against average is 1/2 a goal lower (2.32 vs. 2.89).

The save percentages are closer, with Richter coming in at .904 and Lundqvist at .920. They both led the league in victories once (Richter in 1993-94, Lundqvist in 2012-13). “The King” has notched one Vezina trophy while Richter never accomplished the feat. Both players were selected to the All-Star game three times.

Needless to say, both Mike Richter and Henrik Lundqvist were (and are) very viable goalies. The numbers don’t lie. The New York Rangers have been blessed to have had both of these guys in net and we would benefit greatly by starting either one in a must-win game. Of this, there is no doubt.

So how would one decide which name to pencil into the lineup on this hypothetical game day? The answer comes when we compare playoff careers. Mike Richter brought his team over the top with outstanding play. In the 1994 playoffs, he stopped 59 out of 62 shots in the final two games over the Devils for a .951 save percentage. In the final three against the Canucks, Richter stopped 80 out of 84 shots for a 95.2 save percentage. That total included this one:

For Lundqvist, the playoffs have not been as kind. He has been great at times, especially in elimination games. But the fact remains he has not gotten the Rangers over that hump to a title. Last time they went to the finals was back in 2014 against the Kings. Lundqvist allowed 11 goals over the first three game which helped dump the team in to a 3-0 they just couldn’t recover from. He has just never put together that special playoff run that Richter did.

That is why at this point, if you want to win the big game, start the guy that has won the big game. In this hypothetical debate, the starter should be Mike Richter.

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What do you think, Rangers fans? Sound off in the comments below…

Note: All stats courtesy of Hockey Reference.

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