‘The journey is not over,’ but Henrik Lundqvist’s athlete mentality has helped him cope with heart condition

During the summer of 2021, a huge media contingency gathered for a press conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. At a podium, with tears in his eyes, Henrik Lundqvist announced that his hockey career was over. After close to 900 NHL games with the New York Rangers over 15 seasons, the highly respected goaltender couldn’t keep going anymore. A heart problem, that had led to major surgery during the pandemic, stopped him from representing the Washington Capitals in the 2020-21 season. Instead he had to retire.

In the newly released Netflix documentary Open Heart, Lundqvist chronicles his journey through the surgery and the inevitable decision to end his career. But the problems actually started a lot earlier. It was when he moved to New York in 2005 that it was discovered that he had a heart issue in the first place.

“I didn’t know much then”, he says. ”It was more about getting it checked annually, but it was stable until everything started to escalate quite quickly in the fall of 2020.”

He was taken aback by the news that his condition required surgery. But as it turned out, his mental setup as an accomplished NHL netminder proved to be his biggest asset in dealing with the situation. 

“What helped me a lot was living in the moment”, he remembers. ”Especially in the rehabilitation and focusing on myself and my health. As an athlete, I almost took it like a game. Partly how to prepare and find calm before such a journey. Not looking too far ahead.”

Mentally, he had worked with himself for a long time, something that also proved very valuable.

“I was in a good place and worked a lot on myself. I found strength quite quickly, but I had started that work even before the heart problems began. I felt it helped me a lot, and I had the right tools to work with. Of course, regardless of what you go through in life, it’s good to have people to talk to. To share thoughts and find the right feeling.”

There is, of course, also a significant issue for relatives when a loved one goes through a tough surgery or has other challenges related to their health.

“I think everyone experiences the situation differently depending on where you are,” Henrik Lundqvist says. ”Again, the more you know, the calmer you and the people around you become. It’s about asking a lot of questions, and at the same time, there is a lot of information to take in. As a patient and relative, getting the right information so you know what the ‘game plan’ is.”

Henrik Lundqvist is feeling good today and is able to have an active and healthy lifestyle, but it’s been a bumpy ride.

“I’m feeling great. It took almost three years before I got rid of the inflammation in my heart. It was a bit up and down, back and forth, but the last seven or eight months I have been able to be very active, so it feels very good.”

But, as he explains himself, ”the journey is not over. I will need to undergo more surgeries, so of course, I am keen that research continues to go in the right direction. We have a lot of knowledge in Sweden, but support is still needed.”

That’s why he and his Henrik Lundqvist Foundation have teamed up with the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation to raise funds for the initiative ”Heart of the Year.” Through his organization, he will match and double the effort up to 250,000 SEK ($24,000) that people contribute with.

”It felt right to join in to help and through my organization”, he says. “If you have health problems, healthcare is of course very important. You rely on them to take care of you and it is not something you can solve on your own. It gives you peace of mind if you receive good care, good knowledge, and the right information about what is happening. The more you know, the calmer you are if such a situation arises, regardless of the health problem. When the Heart and Lung Foundation reached out, it felt like I had a strong connection to what they strive for, which is to continue developing research. Many people in Sweden live with cardiovascular diseases. Support from the Heart and Lung Foundation means a lot in that work.”

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This story appeared on hockeysverige.se this week and has been translated from Swedish to English.