Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Reynolds.Photo: NY Rangers/MSG Sports
Love was in the air — and on the ice! — forRyan ReynoldsTuesday night.
Reynolds joined New York Rangers legendHenrik Lundqvistand fellow SwedeAlexander Skarsgårdat Madison Square Garden in New York City to watch the Rangers take on the Minnesota Wild, whom they beat 4-3 following a three-on-three overtime and a shootout.
The smooch quickly made rounds on social media, but it wasn’t the first for Lundqvist that evening. In fact, Reynolds stole the move from Skarsgård, whoplanted a kiss on the former player’s cheekearlier in the night — a move that was also caught on the jumbotron, to fans' delight.
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For Lundqvist, returning to the Garden was potentially a nostalgic moment.
The Swedish-born player, who was awarded the Golden Puck and Golden Helmet for his career in Sweden before coming to the Rangers, retired from the sport in 2021 followinga diagnosis of a heart conditionthat he shared made “the risk of playing before remedying my condition too high.”
Heunderwent open-heart surgerya month after announcing the diagnosis and, seven months later,announced his retirementfrom the league.
“I came to the conclusion thatthere are too many unknownsand too much risk for not enough reward for me to keep playing,” he told theNew York Postat the time.
Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Reynolds.NY Rangers/MSG Sports
“I’ve always been at peace with it,” he told PEOPLE in January 2022 of his jersey retirement.
It was a tear-filled occasion, both for Lundqvist himself and his 100 loved ones in the crowd — 60 of whom had flown in from Sweden for the event.
“WhenI look back at my 15 years here, what gives me the most satisfaction is not the wins or the personal recognition,” he said during his speech. “But it’s really the commitment, the commitment I felt to the New York Rangers.”
Returning to Madison Square Garden Tuesday — and being the object of both Reynolds' and Skarsgård’s affection — brought him back to the place he called home for so many years.
“I think throughout my entire career, that place made me feel so many things, but most of all, it, I felt alive being at MSG,” he told PEOPLE. “Feeling the pressure and so much adrenaline and also a proud feeling to be in there and represent the Rangers.”
source: people.com
