Legendary New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made his TV broadcast debut and it was a smashing success. Sitting alongside John Giannone and former teammate Steve Valiquette he provided key insights and brought a special link to the Blueshirts glory days.
Henrik Lundqvist makes TV debut
The highlight of the night actually belongs to Hank’s old backup, Steve Valiquette. He sat next Lundqvist with the traditional gear a the backup wears on the bench. In a hat and towel Vally said, “This theme for the season is about knowing your role, and I know more role.”
Another hilarious moment again came between the two net minders when Vally chirped Hank about being named first star in his NHL debut. Hank actually looked surprised but then gave him a fist bump and said, “respect.”
Lundqvist talks about his new role
On his excitement for his new role with MSG Networks
“I’m very excited. I know both Vally [Steve Valiquette] and John [Giannone] really well and I think that’s a part of the excitement as well. I want to surround myself with people that I can have fun with. For me, it’s also an opportunity to stay connected to the game and to the Rangers. It’s been such a big part of my life for so long. We’re planning on living here in New York. The kids are back in school here. My life is here. So there’s so many things that make it so special and exciting for me to join MSG Networks. Coming here 16 years ago, you never really know where life will take you. And now I’m joining Vally, my old backup, and John, who I’ve each known for so long. To sit there and talk about Rangers hockey, it’s something that I’m really looking forward to.”
On his “pregame routine” and joining his new MSG Networks team
“I was joking with my wife this morning that I might go back to pregame naps and my pregame pasta. But in all seriousness, it will be fun. It will be a new team, a smaller team. All the people in the crew and on the set have been great so far though. I know most of the people at the network because I’ve seen them over the years. There are a couple new faces, but overall it’s just been great to be around people that all love the Rangers. They put on a great show, which is fun to be a part of.
On how he will approach his new role
“For me, I think it will be more about talking about the mindset, emotions and stuff that you might think in certain situations more than anything, because I lived it. It’s been such a big part of my career that it’s definitely something I would like to talk about and try to have fans understand what a big part of the game that really is – what you think and what you feel in certain situations. I’m a rookie here, so we’ll try to figure out as we go. I’m just going to be honest with what I feel. In the end, I just enjoy watching the game and talking about the game with people that I really like.”
Quotes courtesy of MSG Networks
