When Henrik Lundqvist revealed last week that he would not be playing in the 2020-21 season due to a heart condition, it was assumed this is a newly discovered ailment. We're now learning that is not the case.
Brian MacLellan, general manager of the Washington Capitals, spoke to reporters Wednesday and told them Lundqvist has in fact been playing with the unnamed condition his entire career. However, a recent routine physical was cause for concern for Washington's doctors. After more tests, they deemed it unsafe for him to play in the upcoming season.
«He's had a — I'm not going to get into the whole situation with his health — but he's had a heart issue all along that he's managed that's been fine,» MacLellan said. «We anticipated it would be the same as it's been for all of his career. A routine physical – an early physical – turned into 'we need to explore further what's going on with you.' Following along, our trainer Jason Serbus did an unbelievable job. Our doctors. The cardiologists. The specialists. It kept getting deeper and deeper. As we went that far, we got a lot more knowledge about what his situation is and where it's going, and what his risk levels were."
«His risk level is not acceptable for him to continue to play,» MacLellan told reporters. «It's unfortunate. It was emotional for him and his family.»
Whether Lundqvist will ever be healthy enough to return to the NHL again is anyone's guess at this point. If this is the end for the 38-year-old, it will be some time before the huge amount of New York Rangers records that he owns will be broken, if that ever happens. Lundqvist played for the Rangers for 15 seasons before the team bought out the final year of his contract after the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. He then signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals before it was discovered that his heart condition was worsening.
According to Larry Brook of the New York Post, Lundqvist's condition is not life-threatening. However, he believes Lundqvist is done playing professional hockey.
Source: Russian Machine Never Breaks
