Lundqvist about the new job: “Can’t compare”

FORT LAUDERDALE. Henrik Lundqvist is back in the Stanley Cup Finals.

As a TV expert.

He follows Edmonton and Florida’s field battles on site together with Wayne Gretzky and the other profiles on the TNT television channel’s studio panel.

– It’s a lot of fun, but it can’t be compared to playing by myself. I don’t have any pressure on me. If I mess up sometimes, it’s a shame afterwards. I couldn’t do that if I let in five goals at the Garden, says the Swedish goalkeeping icon and smiles broadly when Sportbladet has a cold beer with him in a lovely Florida twilight.

Eleven years have passed since Henrik Lundqvist himself appeared in what would unfortunately turn out to be his only Stanley Cup final – with the New York Rangers against the Los Angeles Kings.

But this spring, the Swedish Hall of Fame goalie is once again in the bright spotlight of the biggest hockey show.

For a few years now, he has been acting as a studio expert on both the local MSG broadcasts in New York and TNT’s national broadcasts.

This year, TNT will be broadcasting the Stanley Cup Finals, and the entire panel – in addition to Henke, the colorful characters Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter and Wayne Gretzky himself – will travel to the final cities and perform their sessions live in Rogers Place and Amerant Bank Arena, respectively.

– It’s a long journey between Edmonton and South Florida, but you’re used to that. It’s nothing strange. However, it takes many days, it’s a bit drawn out, says the 43-year-old New Yorker when we meet him during the first stop in Fort Lauderdale.

– On the other hand, we could be much worse off than this (wide smile).

Then he might get nervous

Well, it’s not like you feel compelled to write a protest song about our fate. We’re drinking a cold beer on an outdoor terrace outside one of the more magnificent hotels along Fort Lauderdale’s famous boardwalk and have a pretty grandiose view of the Atlantic Ocean.

In that type of environment, it feels appropriate to try to find out if it is in order to relive at least a little of the nerve from the active career that the man known as the King of Manhattan has sought out television and live broadcasts.

But that theory doesn’t turn out to be very accurate.

– I thought it was really fun, especially when we get to see such good matches as in this final, and we’re a good bunch at TNT and I like having a connection to the sport without having to put in as much time as before, says Henke, running a sunburned hand through his hair.

– But like playing by yourself…no, I can’t say that it is.

So it’s not like the feelings before a match when the red light comes on and you know you’re broadcasting live?

– Well, maybe at first. The first time I did it with MSG, I remember it felt a bit…new. But not now.

Now doesn’t that just get your heart rate up?

– No, I can’t. It can be a little nerve-wracking if there are last-second changes, but not otherwise. I don’t feel any pressure. What’s the worst that can happen? That you get stuck or say the wrong thing. It happens, but it doesn’t matter.

But it doesn’t at all. Even though you’ve been here for 20 years, English is your second language and yet it never sounds like you’re getting off track or fumbling for words.

– I don’t have the same vocabulary in English as I do in Swedish, but… well, sometimes it can still be more difficult to do interviews in Swedish, actually, because I’m so used to speaking English. It’s actually gotten a little worse, I think more in English. It might sound strange sometimes, especially with sentence structures. But again, if something goes wrong, it’s at a level where you can work on it afterwards. I couldn’t do that if I conceded five goals at the Garden…

“I think that’s hard”

However, the job is not as easy as a walk in the city – or a beer on a patio in Fort Lauderdale – of course.

– The hardest thing is that I don’t want to be negative towards the players, because I know how difficult it is out there. I think it’s a bit hard to criticize the players, I’d rather try to lift them up. They deserve that. At the same time, you can’t wear cotton gloves all the time and I still try to be honest in my assessments.

Then you, and you, do interviews too. You’ve switched sides!

– Yes, it’s not that easy to come up with a sensible question all the time. Respect for you has grown, hehe.

Haha!

– What you want is for the players to open up about how they feel and think. So it’s a lot about how you ask the first question. If it’s good, I’ve noticed that the chances of a successful interview increase. If it’s bad, they can get a little stuck. You know that.

Well…

Suddenly, three familiar compatriots come loitering on the other side of Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard. It’s the three Edmonton players John Klingberg, Mattias Janmark and Viktor Arvidsson who are out for a walk along the beach the day before final match number four. The distance is too far to call out to them, but with his trained eye, Henke likes what he sees.

“They give a charged impression,” he says, nodding approvingly.

What do you think in general about all the Swedes in this final?

– Gustav Forsling impresses. He gets it right in all situations and has hell of a speed on the pipes. He’s also a real warrior, you can see that in his game.

“One of the best ever”

Otherwise, for natural reasons, it is mainly the goaltending game that the Vezina Trophy winner from Åre and Gothenburg focuses on and comments on.

– Yes, that’s what I do best. I try to give my view of what’s happening and why based on my own experience. The difficult thing is to decide how detailed you should be. Who do you talk to? Do you talk to those who are watching some of their first hockey games and maybe don’t know much, or do you talk to experts? I try to find the right level.

As for the finals themselves, Henke tipped Edmonton as the winner before they started, but after the third round, when the Panthers ran over McDavid & co. so hard that it was all over, he wavered. Then – after our little rendezvous in the approaching dusk – the Oilers strike back in game number four, so the forecast may have changed again. The only thing that can be said with absolute certainty is that an absolutely brilliant final is underway.

– Yes, it’s probably one of the best ever. The first two games in Edmonton were incredibly good. Fantastic, says Henke.

Then we sip the last of the beer – there will only be one per man! – because the Swedish TNT expert has to hurry on to a dinner with the production management.

A day later he is back on the panel in the Amerant Bank Arena and just enjoys when the red live light comes on.