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HOCKEY

Swedish hockey star inks record deal in New York

Swedish national team goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has signed a seven-year contract extension to remain with the National Hockey League's New York Rangers, the club announced on Wednesday.

Swedish hockey star inks record deal in New York
Henrik Lundqvist on the ice in May 2013. File photo: AP

The deal was reportedly worth $59.5 million,making the 31-year-old star the NHL's highest-paid netminder and the Ranger's highest-paid player.

"I really want to win a (Stanley) Cup here," Lundqvist said. "It's my biggest goal and it pushes me to work even harder."

Lundqvist would have been a free agent next year.

"I want to be a Ranger for life," he said. "That was a big thing that became really clear to me. To picture myself anywhere else, it was just wrong. In my heart it was never an option to play anywhere else."

Lundqvist, 8-11 this season with a 2.51 goals-against average and a 91.7 percent save rate, has been a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender in five of the past eight seasons, winning the award last year.

Overall, "King Henrik" is 284-182 with 57 regulation draws, 47 shutouts, a 2.26 goals against average and a 92 percent save rate over 531 career appearances for the Rangers, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2000 NHL Draft.

Lundqvist, a two-time Olympian who backstopped Sweden's 2006 Turin gold medal team, needs only 18 more wins to break Mike Richter's club career record and two shutouts to break Ed Giacomin's regular-season club all-time mark.

"He is everything you would want on and off the ice," said Rangers owner James Dolan. "He is the model of what you want in a player and a leader."

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NHL

It’s official: Sweden’s Lundqvist is the NHL’s best goalie

Sweden's Henrik Lundqvist made 12 straight saves to win the goaltender competition at the NHL all-star game's skill night.

It's official: Sweden's Lundqvist is the NHL's best goalie
Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers celebrates winning the Ticketmaster NHL Save Streak during the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills contest on Friday in San Jose, California. Photo: Thearon W. Hender
The New York Rangers goalie knocked off Russian Olympian Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who held the lead through several rounds after stopping the first eight shots he faced. 
 
The skill contests held on Friday night in San Jose, California also saw Edmonton Oilers speedster Connor McDavid win his third straight fastest skater title in a competition that included a female participant for the first time.
 
Canada's McDavid charged around the rink in just 13.37 seconds to eclipse Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel, who finished in 13.58 seconds at the SAP Center arena.
 
Kendall Coyne, who plays on the American women's national team, was invited to take part and finished seventh out of eight skaters, beating out Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller. Coyne cruised to a time of 14.34 seconds while Keller, who has 11 goals and 35 points with the Coyotes this season, finished in 14.52. 
 
“I thought she was unbelievable,” McDavid said. “She was absolutely flying out there.” 
 
Last year, Coyne's teammate Hilary Knight did the accuracy shooting drill, but her impressive time wasn't included in the official results.
 
Johnny Gaudreau defended his title in the puck control contest with a time of 27.045, and John Carlson, who captured a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals last season, won the hardest shot contest with a blast of 102.8 mph.
 
The NHL all-star game will take place on Sunday.