NHL legend Henrik Lundqvist opens up about his scary heart condition that forced early retirement- "Pressure was 60, at 70 your heart stops"

Henrik Lundqvist, one of the most respected goaltenders in NHL history, opened up about the heart condition that forced him to retire. He discussed in detail how things changed as he prepared to continue his career with the Washington Capitals after leaving the New York Rangers.

Lundqvist last played on Aug. 3, 2020, for the Rangers in the playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. The team bought out final year of his contract. Months after stepping away, Lundqvist still felt confident he could play.

“I remember a month or two months after that, we were talking in August," Lundqvist said on Tuesday, via the "Spittin’ Chiclets" podcast. "Maybe I went to the rink just to skate, and I loved it. Oh, I'm not done yet. I'm not done. It was I was not done,” he said. “I felt like I had at least three more years.”

That belief pushed him to explore options with other NHL teams. Eventually, he signed a one-year deal with the Capitals.

“Washington felt like the best match for me, family, where I'm at, and, you know, my career,” Lundqvist said.

However, during medical evaluations with team doctors in the fall of 2020, new concerns came up. Lundqvist knew for a long time that he had a leaky heart valve.

“I knew I had a condition where my valve was leaky," Lundqvist said. "I've known that for years but it was steady for so many years.”

Those checkups showed that the situation worsened. Just as he was getting ready to head to Washington, he received some difficult news.

“We had this call with the doctors, and they (said) it's like, no, no, no, all the tests, everything is actually worse than we thought,” Lundqvist said. “My pressure used to be 19, 20 — it was at 60. At 70, your heart stops. And then my aorta was too big, so we need to replace that. And the valve was hanging on.”

After hearing that, Lundqvist knew he couldn’t play anymore.

More on Henrik Lundqvist’s surgery and the setback that ended his NHL comeback

Henrik Lundqvist had open-heart surgery in January 2021 at a Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Eric Roselli led the six-hour procedure, which included three major repairs to his heart: the valve, the aortic root and the ascending aorta.

Following surgery, Henrik focused on recovery and made steady progress. He returned to the ice seven weeks later.

“I would stay in the moment, not look too far ahead, and see the improvement,” Lundqvist said in April 2021 (06:43), via "Open Heart."

However, before his move to Washington, Lundqvist felt sharp pain in his chest and back. Tests showed he had pericarditis, an inflammation around the heart. It required weekly injections and limits on physical activity, which ended any chance of returning to the NHL. Lundqvist had to accept that his playing career was over.

Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet responds to critics questioning his loyalty to Canada, Bobby Orr's support following 4 Nations drama

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez