New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist appreciation article

Our job as sports writers is to take information and observations and put them into words, but when it comes to the New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist, there just are no words for what we are witnessing.

The New York Rangers are back on a mini-winning streak as I write this and Henrik Lundqvist is coming back to life.

Both the New York Rangers and their iconic net minder are having out of character seasons.

The Rangers are not competitive and while although not bad, and he’s going to another All-Star game, Hank is not having best year to date.

However, we all know that.

The Rangers rebuild and more often than not being carried by their King in between the pipes is not the story anymore.

Over the weekend, Henrik Lundqvist surpassed Terry Sawchuk to take sole possession of sixth place on the all-time NHL goalie wins list.

By the end of this season, he will likely take a spot in the top five.

Once he got into the top six, I knew I had to write about it. I knew it was not an accomplishment that could go unacknowledged.

However, as Lundqvist since piled up another win, I just did not know what to say.

It is easy to argue that he is the best Rangers goalie of all time. I mean that shouldn’t even be a debate.

It is still easy, albeit not as easy, to debate that he is the best New York Ranger player of all time in general.

However, he is still playing. He is still playing at an NHL All-Star level. So, what could I really say?

His magical career is not over yet. While the writing on the wall screams it might be over for Hank soon, the all-time greats always find a way to hang on longer.

While, we still have him, we just need to appreciate him.

He is a legend in every sense of the word and there is little to no point about writing about his recent accomplishment when he is not done accomplishing things.

To put into perspective how amazing he is, on the Rangers’ hockey-reference page, he leads the Rangers all-time in 12 stats. 12 different categories.

Mostly all the goalie stats, some great things to lead in, some not so much like most losses.

Either way, it takes a special kind of ability and longevity to be able to be around long enough to lead your team in basically everything you can.

If you were to show a non-sports fan the Rangers’ all-time leaders, if you showed them without any context, they would probably assume Lundqvist is the best of all time solely based on the numbers and how often they will see his name.

But, even if you look back to the Rangers Cup run in 2012, they don’t get that far without Lundqvist being Lundqvist.

If you look at the Rangers, even right now, they would have been blown out in so many games had it not been for Hank. He is fresh off a 34 save win vs the Hurricanes, after all.

However, that is the greatness of him. That is why he just needs to simply be appreciated.

Even after all these years, he is still the most exciting player to watch on this team.

For a lot of guys on this roster, it might be their first great season and that is a great story. However, we might be looking at Lundqvist’s last good one.

Only time will tell.

But still, there really are not a lot of words to describe what Lundqvist taking a top six spot in the all-time wins list means.

There are not a lot of adjectives that can be said about what he is, just a few powerful ones. He is a legend. He is great. Maybe he is even the greatest of all-time.

But, the one thing all Rangers, nay, all hockey fans should do for Hank is just appreciate him. What he has done, what he is doing now, and what he will do in the future.

I am not even saying that Rangers fans don’t.

What I am saying is with the position the Rangers are in as a team right now, it is easy to overlook Hank and not fully think he is still a major part of the team.

There are some nights where even myself does not even realize what he is doing and how he is doing it.

But, that is really all I wanted to use this platform for today.

Just simply a reminder, a PSA, to everyone to appreciate Henrik Lundqvist.

He deserves it. He will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. His number will be hanging in the Garden rafters for as long as the Garden exists.

He has all the stats, he has had the marvelous career, he is the all the support in the world.

So, that is all I have to say.

There are not enough words to even begin to describe what he means to the Rangers.

Just appreciate him. Now, later, tomorrow, forever. That is all.