One-on-one with Henrik Lundqvist: On heart surgery, retirement and living in the moment

On one end of the phone was a group of doctors, tasked with the unenviable responsibility of explaining to a world-class athlete that his heart condition posed "a significant risk" of death if it continued untreated.

On the other end was Henrik Lundqvist, the New York Rangers' all-time winningest goaltender.

The soon-to-be Hockey Hall of Famer took a moment to process that devastating information, then asked a painfully straightforward question: "If I was your brother, would you tell me not to play?”

"I would," responded the lead doctor.

More than two years later, recalling that chilling conversation still causes Lundqvist's voice to quiver.

"It was tough," he said in a recent conversation with lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. "It’s tough just thinking about it right now, actually."

Following a brief pause and a deep breath, the Swedish goalie explained.

"It was almost like I knew, 'It’s not going to work,'" he said. "It was so direct. I really thought in the end that it was going to work. I was going to convince my wife that I'm going to play. But when he said those words, it was almost like my body just – I'm not going say gave up, but I accepted what needed to happen."

Living in the moment

Acceptance has been essential for Lundqvist at this transitional stage of his life.

It's a prevailing theme in Jonathan Hock's film, "Open Heart," which pulls back the curtain on Lundqvist's aortic valve replacement surgery and the arduous two years leading up his 2021 retirement. It will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday.

"The third rail for any superstar athlete is the end, and athletes never want to talk about it," Hock explained. "They don't want to talk about it before it happens, and they don't want to talk about it after that. So, what Henrik has given us with this film – the intimate look into the process of a superstar at the end of his career, and the transition point from athlete to human civilian – is really, really rare. He's pretty extraordinary and insightful and articulate. That was the joy for me in doing this project."

All athletes have visions of retiring on their terms, with a specific set of accomplishments in mind before they give up the sport they've devoted much of their lives to. But the harsh reality is that few achieve that storybook ending − and once that dream dies, they struggle to shift to the next phase.

That metamorphosis was even more abrupt and unique for Lundqvist.

After spending 15 seasons with the Rangers, he decided at age 38 that he wanted to keep playing. That led him to sign with the Washington Capitals, but a routine physical set off an unpredictable chain of events that culminated with open-heart surgery early in 2021.

It forced him to face his own mortality − not just as an athlete, but as a human being − and drastically recalibrate his priorities.

"There was so much that happened within 12 months in my life, with walking away from the Rangers and the heart surgery and the setbacks and walking away from hockey," he said. "But overall, I was in such a good place mentally because I worked on it. A lot of people – a lot of athletes – I think face similar questions in life when you have to pivot. In my case, it felt almost like my life was turned upside down. But to be honest, I was really happy and able to focus on the right things. I felt the power of thinking the right way."

For years, Lundqvist was obsessive about maximizing his results on the ice.

That unrelenting focus drove him to be great, but it required setting lofty goals and constantly looking toward the next task. He notoriously anguished over every loss and shortcoming, often getting trapped in the cycle of his own ambitions.

But with the help of family, friends and his life coach, Jimmy Tjärnlund, he was able to find peace at a time when the career he was so passionate about so slowly being ripped away.

"I just felt I was so in the moment," he said. "That's the biggest thing I take away from all of this. The more I managed to be in the moment, the happier I am. Right after surgery, I was extremely happy, which is weird. People reached out and were very concerned, asking, ‘How are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘I'm super happy,’ which is kind of cool to feel."

A near comeback

By the time the unfortunate heart diagnosis came, Lundqvist was already in the process of what he described as "adjusting my outlook."

It began in earnest during a difficult final season with the Rangers. He was limited to a career-low 26 starts during the 2019-20 campaign, as it became increasingly evident that he was being phased out in favor of top prospect Igor Shesterkin.

He admits "it was hard at times" as he grappled with the end of his tenure in New York, but it forced him to step back and understand he had nothing to be bitter about.

"You just find that gratitude towards everything you’ve experienced there," said Lundqvist, whose No. 30 jersey was retired by the Rangers on Jan. 28, 2022. "When the buyout actually happened, I was in such a good place and grateful and happy. I remember that day, I was so appreciative to the Rangers and what they've given me for so long and the experiences I had. It felt so good that I was in that place when it happened. I could really take it all in. I had some great meetings with management and (owner James) Dolan also right when that happened, and I just felt like, even if we closed that door as a Rangers' player, I felt like I was going to be part of that family and organization for a long time."

Choosing to focus on the positives allowed Lundqvist to calculate his next move with a clear head.

He quickly realized that he wasn't ready to hang up his skates.

The chance to chase an elusive Stanley Cup title in Washington reinvigorated him, which made that dreaded call with the doctors hit even harder. And while deep down he knew his condition might prevent him from ever playing again, his competitive desire to overcome those odds pushed him through some of the low points.

"I was 100% convinced it was going to happen, which gave me so much energy," he recalled.

The documentary reveals just how close Lundqvist came to making a comeback.

Just 44 days after surgery, he was back on the ice in Caps' gear. He continued those workouts for over a month, with plans to join the team before the 2020-21 season ended. But the week he was scheduled to travel to D.C., he experienced a pain in his chest that he soon found out was pericarditis − inflammation around the heart caused by his rapid increase in activity.

"It went from flying back to New York and packing my car to go to Washington, to pretty much don't move for three months," Lundqvist explained in the film.

Life after hockey

The diagnosis dealt the final blow to his storied hockey career.

On Aug. 20, 2021, Lundqvist announced his retirement.

His heart was still in it, but the organ itself simply wouldn't cooperate.

"I thought I arrived, and then it kind of came back again," Lundqvist said. "That’s been the case for a couple years now. At least it reassures me that I made the right decision to retire."

He's constantly managing the inflammation, which he said flared back up again recently, but it hasn't prevented him from diving headfirst into post-playing opportunities.

Lundqvist accepted a role as an ambassador for the Madison Square Garden Corporation last year, while also working as a TV analyst for MSG Network and TNT and pursuing his own business ventures. He's remained highly visible while spreading his wings as an emerging entrepreneur.

"I knew when I retired, my biggest goal is to be happy," he said. "So, whenever I pick things now to do, it's kind of an easy question. ‘Will this make me happy?’ And if that answer is yes, let's do it."

"For the longest time, I knew exactly where I wanted to be, where I wanted to go, and everything was – I'm not going to say preset – but I had a straight course," he added. "Now I'm just pretty open to where life will take me."

That's been a refreshing change − "Life is definitely more relaxing," he said − but it doesn't mean there aren't moments when he misses the competition.

That's especially true at this time of year with the Stanley Cup playoffs ongoing, but everything he's been through has helped him reach a point where he's accepting of his fate and grateful for the journey.

"It's still so fresh," he said of retirement. "The first year was definitely tougher. I remember the first couple of (playoff) games I worked, it was pretty tough to sit and watch. But then the more time that passed – the more you distanced yourself to the game – now I just appreciate it as a fan. In a way, you get happy seeing the players happy, because you know exactly how important it is to them and how exciting it is."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.