Not all Kings get to wear crown

By Angelo Stambene

If “Game of Thrones” has taught me anything, it’s that there is but one true king. The same can be said of the NHL, where the one true king’s name isn’t Stannis, but Henrik. The Rangers netminder is a three-time All-Star, an Olympic Gold Medal winner (2006), and a Vezina Trophy winner (best goalie). The only thing missing from his mantle is a Stanley Cup, and even if he never wins one, he is still one of the best to play the position.

Currently, Lundqvist is ranked 19th in career regular season wins with 339, and with a little bit of luck, he can crack the top ten by the time he hangs up his skates. Lundqvist is the Rangers’ all-time leader in wins, shutouts and playoff wins, which is even more impressive considering he plays for an original six team that has competed since 1926.

Today the league sits at 30 teams, and is looking to expand even further, meaning the odds will continue to decrease as only one team can be the champion. One player cannot win a Stanley Cup by himself, just ask anyone about Sidney Crosby – whom many will say is the best player in the game – yet Crosby has only one Cup to his name.

Friday night, “King” Lundqvist’s Rangers take on the Lightning, and the winner advances to the Stanley Cup finals. One of Lundqvist’s most impressive traits is that he’s at his best with the pressure at a boiling point.

Lundqvist is nearly unbeatable in Game 7s, owning a 6-1 record since 2012.

Lundqvist needs just five more wins to be forever immortalized, but everything that he has accomplished, and will by the time he retires, has already made him an all-time great. If Lundqvist never hoists Lord Stanley’s Cup it will be a tragedy, but Henrik will always be King.

Can’t be a legend without jewelry

By Kate Shefte

Do the names Terry Sawchuk, Ken Dryden and Grant Fuhr ring a bell? Probably.

How about John Vanbiesbrouck, Eddie Giacomin, Felix Potvin? Maybe vaguely.

What’s the difference? The first three have 15 Stanley Cup titles between them. The latter three? Zero.

King Henrik is one of the best goalies of our time. You can still be a great without titles, but we’re all kidding ourselves if we say they don’t matter. You’ll always have that asterisk next to your name that automatically excludes you from best-ever discussions. “Great goaltender. Never got his name on Lord Stanley, though…” you’ll tell your bored grandkids wistfully.

Currently, one of the biggest knocks on Hall of Fame hopeful Curtis “CuJo” Joseph, a journeyman who wound up fourth all-time in regular-season wins, is that he’s also the winningest goaltender never to have won the Stanley Cup. It matters.

When a goalie finally hangs up his skates and his accomplishments are condensed for all to see, who carefully analyzes the number of wins, the combined goals against average, the number of All-Star Games they made? You want to know where they won it all, and with whom. That name is on that Cup for decades. Wins are relegated to a column on HockeyDB.

Occasionally, a goaltender will have enough of a personality or change the game so drastically that he becomes a legend without a ring, like Philadelphia brawler Ron Hextall. But Lundqvist isn’t setting penalty minute records. He’s an above-average top-tier goalie with a mild-mannered personality and a pretty face. The only way he can ensure his name remains in the minds of more than just devoted fans is to return the Rangers to glory. Ultimate glory. Not a whiff of it.

Oak Mountain’s David Dahl follows through on a swing in the batting cage in North Shelby County, Ala., Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. (Mark Almond, The Birmingham News)

MARK ALMOND