Igor Shesterkin in the footsteps of Henrik Lundqvist

DAY

By winning this year's Vézina Trophy, awarded to the most deserving goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL), Igor Shesterkin duplicated the feat of arms of his idol and predecessor with the New Rangers. York, Henrik Lundqvist. 

The Russian had the upper hand in the ballot conducted among the general managers of the circuit and aimed at determining the winner, ahead of Jacob Markstrom, of the Calgary Flames, and Juuse Saros, of the Nashville Predators. For the Russian, the award carries significant symbolism, as Lundqvist had obtained it 10 years earlier. “King Henrik” was on his radar when he was younger. He has followed the actions of the former number 30 whom he replaced as the club's main goalkeeper in 2020-2021. 

Also, it seems that Shesterkin has learned the lessons perfectly learned by seeing the Swede at work. With a .935 save percentage this past regular season, it's hard to argue about that.

“It's great to be part of the Rangers family. Thank you to all the team supporters. My dream was to play in the NHL, in front of you at Madison Square Garden. The sensations are incredible,” he said in particular, as reported by the daily “New York Post”.

However, the doorman was unable to get his hands on the Hart trophy, awarded to Auston Matthews as the league's most valuable player. He didn't seem to mind too much and even predicted that he wouldn't get the coveted prize.

“These are the players at the top, he said before even knowing the identity of the winner. Except I never let Matthews score against me. I am happy. I didn't play against [Connor] McDavid, but I saw the highlights every day on TV. How many goals did Matthews score? Sixty? It's impressive.”

The missing trophy

On the other hand, Shesterkin is more disappointed not to be able to lift the most precious of trophies: the cup Stanley. The six-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals left a sour taste, especially since the Blueshirts had won the first two meetings.

“It's tough to accept, because we had a very good formation and we deserved to play in the final, he mentioned. I think it was a very good experience for us and we will be even stronger next season.”

Despite himself, he watches the fourth-round matches, visibly resigned. “I have time,” he admitted to NHL.com.