Photo Credit: NHL.com
The World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament games have begun ahead of next Saturday’s opening festivities in Toronto, but one team will be without their superstar goalie for the time being. Henrik Lundqvist, goaltender for the New York Rangers, representing team Sweden, will be sitting out at least the first match against Finland due to sore ribs he sustained in an earlier practice.
Team Sweden held practice at the Scandinavium facility in Gothenburg on Monday and Henrik says he doesn’t plan to miss any time. Fans were concerned when a photo of Lundqvist circulated over social media, of him holding his right side from an injury he sustained in a golf game, but those reports proved to be false. Lundqvist says when he reaches for pucks or stretches to make a save, there is no significant pain or any reason to be worried. The team doctors evaluated him straight after practice and nothing outstanding was found.
Sweden fell to Finland in the pre-tournament opener, 3-2 in overtime in Helsinki, and return to Gothenburg on Saturday for another game. They also have one final meeting against team Europe on September 14th in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., before heading to Toronto for the tournament for their first match against Russia.
