Rangers Legend Discusses Knicks Title Impact

The most famous No. 30 in Madison Square Garden history is eager to see a New York Knicks group partly led by another (Julius Randle) succeed.

Speaking with Bloomberg News on behalf of his work with the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund’s continued Sept. 11 remembrance efforts, Lundqvist was asked if a win for the Knicks or his New York Rangers would be a “more iconic” championship win.

The Blueshirts legend indirectly asked: why not both?

“Being a Ranger, I would always root for the Rangers,” Lundqvist said. “But at the same time … I spent a lot of time at the Garden last year, both Knicks and Rangers. Just to feel that excitement around the Garden for fans coming in and out every other night, you want both teams to do well. So why not do a double?”

Lundqvist, now an Madison Square Garden ambassador, was one of many witnesses to a bittersweet spring on both the hardwood and ice.

The Knicks won 50 games and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket while the Rangers posted the best record in the National Hockey League. Unfortunately for the metropolitan masses, the Knicks fell in the conference semifinals to the Indiana Pacers while the Rangers fell two games short of playing for the Stanley Cup, dropping a six-game set to the eventual champion Florida Panthers.

Many Knicks and Rangers fans likely agree on the status of Lundqvist, whose jersey was retired by the Garden in 2022. He is the all-time leader in goaltending victories at 459 (the most by a European-born goaltender and the most by a goalie who played for a single NHL team) and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023.

The Swedish-born Lundqvist continues to be a mainstay in the New York area while also serving as an analyst for both MSG Network and TNT’s national hockey coverage.

“I love this city,” he said. “I’ve spent my entire adult life in New York City, I moved there when I was 23. Nineteen years later, I’m still here. I love my relationships at Madison Square Garden working as an ambassador now, working on TV, going to a lot of games, concerts, meeting incredible people. It just feels like home.”

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