On the Barstool podcast, Spittin' Chiclet, Henrik Lundqvist was a featured guest this week. At one point in his career, even he wasn't untouchable as he told a story about how his nickname "the King" affected him negatively in the Rangers organization with Head Coach John Tortorella.![Henrik Lundqvist]()
John Tortorella is the focal point of this story, as Henrik Lundqvist relayed a story where the hard-nosed, Rangers coach would lay down the law in the locker room.
The subject? Hank.
Henrik Lundqvist would have a 1-on-1 meeting with John Tortorella, which would escalate into a confrontation.
«I was playing good, but then had a few games when I was not very good. I was terrible, OK?,» Lundqvist told co-hosts Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney and Keith Yandle. «And I get a text one day, 'Hey Hank, Torts wants you in his office tomorrow morning at nine.' So, I get there and we have this long conversation. 'I don't know what you're doing. Where's your focus at? I saw you at The Garden watching a show the other night and you're not playing great,' and this and that. And there was a list of things he didn't like.
«He ends with, 'People treat you like you're The King around here. Guess what? You're not The f***ing King!» Then there was a lot of yelling, not from my side, mostly from Torts.»
«He ends with, 'People treat you like you're The King around here. Guess what? You're not The f***ing King!» Then there was a lot of yelling, not from my side, mostly from Torts.»
Lundqvist experienced Torts as head coach from 2009-13, and he would backstop many teams during his tenure that would be instrumental in earning a Vezina trophy.
Tortorella's insinuation upset Hank, as if going to a concert would throw off his game performance, especially when it was on an off-night.
«I didn't say much because I knew I didn't play great,» Lundqvist explained. «I just said, 'You can never question my commitment to the game.' I know that in my heart always.»
While you'd expect the two to have a terrible relationship afterward, it was the opposite for Torts and Hank.
Lundqvist credits Torts for impacting him the most when it came to the game of hockey, compared to Alain Vigneault, Tom Renney, and David Quinn.
«I resonated with him a lot, in terms of that energy and fire. That part I really enjoyed that part of Torts is what really resonated with me. The fire,» Lundqvist explained. «I love going out into a game and feeling like we're going to war. And if I had a coach that helped us as a group get there, even better.»
Sometimes a little humble pie hurts, but in the long run, discipline and determination make up for the mistakes of the past.
For Lundqvist, it was all of the above, plus the passion he felt from Tortorella that fired him up every NHL game while he was in New York.
