(Reuters) – Washington Capitals goalie Henrik Lundqvist said on Wednesday his recovery from open heart surgery six weeks ago is going well and that he even felt good enough to go for a run.
The 38-year-old Swede, who enjoyed huge success with the New York Rangers before signing with the Capitals last October, previously announced he would sit out the entire NHL season due to a heart condition.
“The checkup with the doctor this morning reaffirmed what I’ve been feeling last few weeks, everything looking great,” Lundqvist wrote on Twitter. “It energized me so much I had to go out for a run (FYI, I’m not a runner) Today is a good day!”
The Rangers bought out the final year of Lundqvist’s contract in September, ending the Swede’s 15-season run as the face of the NHL’s most valuable franchise.
Lundqvist holds more than 50 Rangers franchise records, including the all-time mark for wins, appearances by a keeper, shutouts, playoff appearances and playoff wins.
Known as “The King”, Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender for the 2011-12 season and was a finalist for the award in four other years.
Lundqvist, who helped Sweden claim the Olympic gold medal in 2006, has earned more career NHL wins (459) than any other non-North American born goalkeeper and reached the 400-win mark faster than any other in his position.
Lundqvist’s playing time with the Rangers decreased last season with the emergence of then-rookie Igor Shesterkin.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
