Henrik Lundqvist

Before joining the Rangers, Lundqvist played for Frölunda HC in Swedish Elitserien. During his years in Sweden, he developed into the league\'s finest goaltender, winning the Honken Trophy three consecutive seasons; 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2005, he also won two of the most prestigious awards in Swedish ice hockey, the Golden Puck and the Golden Helmet.\n', ' Lundqvist is considered a butterfly style goalie, though unorthodox because of the aggressive way he performs the butterfly. He is best known for his sensational quickness, athleticism, strong positional play, concentration tracking pucks, upright torso stance and style.\n', ' Henrik Lundqvist grew up with his identical twin brother Joel in Åre, Jämtland, an area where alpine skiing is the most popular winter activity, though Henrik and Joel chose to play ice hockey over the more popular winter sports. During the winters, their kindergarten teachers used the kindergarten\'s 9 meters × 3 meters (30 ft × 10 ft) sandpit to freeze an outdoor ice rink where the twins would frequently skate. Their interest in hockey grew even stronger when their father Peter took the twins to see Västra Frölunda HC play in Scandinavium, Gothenburg. Henrik has said that he and Joel were very competitive growing up, in sports as well as school. Peter worked for a company who sponsored Frölunda, and Henrik and Joel saw many games in Scandinavium, where Frölunda became their favorite team. In 1990, Henrik and Joel joined Järpens IF and started playing organized hockey for the first time. During one practice, when the coach asked if anyone wanted to be a goaltender, Joel grabbed and raised Henrik\'s arm and said that his brother would like to. In 1993, the family moved to Båstad, Skåne, in southern Sweden to support their older sister Gabriella\'s tennis career. Henrik and Joel then joined local team Rögle BK, and were both selected for Scania\'s regional team in Sverigepucken in 1995. Henrik was selected to play for Scania in TV-pucken in 1996, and in 1997, when Joel was also selected. During the 1997–98 season, Henrik and Joel were extensively scouted by Frölunda, and while playing for Rögle in the 1998 Scandinavium Cup in Gothenburg, Frölunda\'s junior team manager and under-16 coach Janne Karlsson contacted their father, who told Henrik and Joel about Frölunda\'s interest in them while driving home to Båstad.\n', '