“The committee certainly didn’t have to deliberate for several minutes.” • Per Bjurman on Henrik Lundqvist’s Hall of Fame induction

New York. Only the largest ones are selected on the first try.

But the Hockey Hall of Fame committee certainly didn’t have to spend several minutes thinking about the best Swedish goalkeeper of all time.

King Henrik of course forever.

This is how it works, to be inducted into the prestigious Hockey Hall of Fame, you must have been retired from active hockey for at least three years, and most have to wait longer than that.

But everyone took it for granted that Mike Gartner would come by as “Henrik Lundqvist” when he introduced the 2023 team at the classic press conference in the Great Hall in Toronto on Wednesday night.

He was a first-time qualifier—yes, it’s been an incredible three years since we’ve seen Henke on the ice—but still a “slam dunk” to the head of Gartner and the other 17 icons on the selection committee (among others Joe Sakic, Ron Francis, Igor Larionov, and Luke Robitail and the Swedish Anders Hedberg).

A star for the history books

On social media, sure, the No. 30-ranked New York Rangers haven’t won a Stanley Cup, but first, that panel weighs in on more than just NHL merit, and second, it’s never been Hinkie’s fault the Rangers arrived in the 15 years they’ve ruled Manhattan. On the contrary, many of those years he single-handedly ensured that the club had a chance to compete at all.

Regardless, the track record is still pretty good: Olympic gold, World Cup gold, World Series gold, a Vezina Trophy win, multiple All-Star appearances, and just about every record imaginable for goaltending—including most wins and most shutouts. – at the Original Six Club and raised on the roof of Madison Square Garden.

Plus, he was always a “Hall of Famer” even off the ice – and still is. A more active retiree hasn’t been seen since Mick Jagger decided to keep working. We just saw him star in TNT’s famous studio in the Stanley Cup playoffs — and in the middle of that trip, he also managed to call the premiere of “Open Heart,” the documentary about life after major heart surgery in January 2021.

A star for the history books indeed.

Zetterberg must continue to wait

There were some hopes that another Henrik, Zetterberg, would be recruited this time (at the second attempt), but he would have to wait a little longer, since 2023 was the year of the senior guard.

In addition to Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso (retired 2003) and Mike Vernon (retired 2002) – as well as former star Pierre Turgeon – are honored.

And you can’t have everything, I’m happy So it’s enough to go to Toronto in November and see when King Henrik is the eighth Swede – after Borgje Salming, Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, Niklas Lidström, Daniel Alfredsson, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin – to become part of eternity.