Regional Sports

Only redemption for Lundqvist is hoisting Lord Stanley

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was fantastic against the Canadiens in Game 1 of the best-of-seven first round playoff series Wednesday night at Bell Centre.  He was why the Rangers won the first game after making 31 saves in the Rangers’ 2-0 shutout victory over the Canadiens.

This inspired Lundqvist’s bobos to rip his critics for doubting his ability on Twitter and on sports radio. To them, his performance was redemption. Whatever that means.

It’s a joke people would mention his Game 1 performance as “redemption”. He shouldn’t be getting a medal for that. His job is to win the Stanley Cup, not just do well in a game of the first-round playoff series.

The Rangers star has had a great career in the NHL. He leads the club for most ever regular season victories as a goaltender with 405 wins and counting, and to top that, he has the most regular season shutouts ever as a Rangers goaltender with 61 and counting. He has won a Vezina Trophy. He has made one Stanley Cup Final appearance. He has been an All-Star three times in his career. This resume speaks Hall of Fame.

But one thing is missing. He does not have a Stanley Cup on his resume, and that’s all that matters. When people call him “King”, he needs to back it up by winning the Cup. In New York, players are defined and remembered for winning championships and nothing else.

Lundqvist’s critics are more than happy to say he hasn’t has won a Stanley Cup to deserve this much praise. They are so right on when he hasn’t gotten it done.

The Rangers netminder had his opportunity several years ago when the Rangers played in the Stanley Cup Final against the Kings in 2014. The Rangers led in Games 1, 2 and 5, and he couldn’t protect it. The Kings went on to tie it and win those games, and that’s why they were the Stanley Cup champions that season.

There were excuses for Lundqvist. People cited he had no defense to work with. Plus, there is this beauty, which is the Kings are the faster and bigger team. Whatever. A great goaltender finds a way to protect leads in a magnitude of the Stanley Cup Final. This was a blown opportunity for Lundqvist and Rangers.

Who knows if he and the Rangers are getting that opportunity again? It’s hard to win Stanley Cup championships. When the opportunity is there, it has to be taken. The 35-year-old netminder had his, and he failed them more than his teammates failed them. That’s why the Rangers’ 2013-2014 season was a disappointment. This was the year they should have won the Stanley Cup.

After the Rangers goaltender failed to get it done that season, he developed good number of critics. It has intensified each passing year. Now, there are many people that wonder if he has it in him to lead the Rangers to a championship. Listening to WFAN this week, his critics, including myself, were more than happy to pounce on his inability to win the Stanley Cup in light of a horrible postseason performance against the Penguins last year.

Lundqvist did not help himself this season by having a mediocre season. He posted career-worsts in goals against average (2.74) and save percentage (.910).

Let’s not judge him for his regular season this season. That’s irrelevant. It’s about what he does in this postseason. He has to get it done, and the clock is ticking. He is 35 years old, and the Rangers have had many opportunities to win the Cup. Sooner or later, it happens to him or it does not. He can only have that much window of opportunity forever, and he knows this.

The Rangers have the pieces to win a championship. They have the defense and scoring to get it done. They can do the little things to win it all by winning faceoffs, clearing the puck and blocking shots. It comes down to the goaltender as it always is in the second season of the NHL.

This is where Lundqvist has to be the Rangers best player and the difference maker. He has showed that he can do that in many games of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the first-round series against the Penguins, which the Rangers rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to win that series on Lundqvist’s play.

He is going to have to do that again and again like he did Wednesday night.

One game is not going to change things. His critics will be ready to savage him when he fails in a playoff game. He knows that as much as anyone.

He knows the deal. It’s about winning the Stanley Cup, and he acknowledged that prior to this playoff series against the Canadians.

Every game is a referendum for this goalie.

It’s not fair, but when he gets labeled as the King, pressure is part of the territory of being a great goaltender. Just ask Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. Better yet, ask any New York professional athlete that dealt with the pressure of being a star to lead his team to a championship.

It’s good to know Lundqvist finally gets it.

Related Articles

Check Also
Close