3 Reasons Henrik Lundqvist is a New York State Treasure

The Rangers haven't put another Stanley Cup victory together since the fated 1994 team, but we have been blessed with a team that has overperformed year after year over the last decade or so and the reason is pretty simple. Henrik Lundqvist is absurdly good and it's we have had amazing luck to watch one of the best of this era play in New York. Yes, those teams that made deep runs in the playoffs a few years back were much better than this year's younger, rag-tag team. But here they are again, looking to overperform thanks to number thirty.

Those 1990s teams were legendary - I grew up watching and rooting for them. But Lundqvist has earned his place alongside the Rangers greats and here's why.

1. He wins games the Rangers should lose. The Rangers have given him terrible goal support over the years, especially during their playoff runs. How many games have the Rangers completely stolen thanks for their goalie? I don't know, but it's more than they have deserved. At times I've been genuinely angry on his behalf because he has also lost a great many games he should have won if his team had been able to puck in the net ahead of him. His Goals Against Average in the playoffs is a pretty stingy 2.28 - about a tenth of a point better than in the regular season. You aren't going to win a lot of games if you can't average more goals a game than that. He's done his part and I wish the Rangers had gotten him a cup.

2. He is about as consistent a goalie as you could ask for. Henrik isn't quite at his peak anymore, but he is still performing at a very high level fourteen years into his career. The Rangers have changed coaches, captains, star forwards, and just about everything else, but he's been an absolute rock in goal every year since he started. You want to be a legend in New York? Stay for the long haul.

3. He acts and looks the part. Yes, I'm going there and ending on a bit of a silly one. Pointing out that New York City is a hard place to be a star is hardly new, but Henrik has earned his Kingly title. I mean, who can argue that this man right here doesn't belong in New York?