30 Days of Lundqvist: Hank’s 300th Win and 49th Shutout

The 2013-14 season was a special one for the eventual Eastern Conference Champion New York Rangers, and specifically for goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, as he reached a number of milestones along the way.

By the end of the season he was the winningest goaltender in franchise history and he stood alone at the top of the team’s list for shutouts as well.

It is easy to reminisce on those signature moments, but today’s memory is slightly before Hank entered a class of his own. Today we are going back to March 9, 2014, when Lundqvist tied Ed Giacomin for the most shutouts in team history.

On this day, the Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 3-0 during a Sunday matinee on NBC. The game featured a goal by Brian Boyle, plus two third period goals off the stick of Chris Kreider.

Lundqvist made 30 saves on the night – 11 in the first period, seven in the second period, and 12 in the third.

This victory also happened to be Hank’s 300th win overall and it put him one behind Mike Richter for the most in team history. Lundqvist became just the 29th goaltender in NHL history to win at least 300 games, and he did it with blazing speed. It took Lundqvist 560 games to secure 300 wins, which is fifth fastest in league history.

It was special for Hank to complete the two-for-one milestone special – and the idea of reaching both that night motivated him even more, as he locked in during the third period to get the job done.

“It’s a lot of fun when you start thinking about it,” a smiling Lundqvist said in the postgame dressing room while wearing the Broadway Hat. “I started thinking about it after two periods–why not go for a doughnut in this game and reach 300 wins? It was a good challenge for me.”

Lundqvist would have to wait 10 more days until he became the Rangers’ all-time win leader, and he did so with an 8-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Be sure to check out the other posts in the 30 Days of Lundqvist series.