Henrik Lundqvist won’t play for the Washington Capitals this season

Due to a heart condition, Henrik Lundqvist will not be suiting up for the Washington Capitals this season.

Hockey fans won’t see Henrik Lundqvist in between the pipes for a little while. In a shocking turn of events, Lundqvist announced on Twitter that a heart condition will cause him to miss some time.

Lundqvist parted ways with the New York Rangers during the offseason, but he was determined to continue his NHL career with the Washington Capitals. Although he says he will not be playing for the Capitals this season, Lundqvist will not say whether or not he is hanging up his skates for good.

Some tough news I need to share with you all.. pic.twitter.com/y7ZtAoo39Q

— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist) December 17, 2020

“It breaks my heart (literally) to share this news: I will not be joining the Capitals this upcoming season. After many weeks of tests and conversations with specialists around the country, it’s been determined that a heart condition will prevent me from taking the ice. Together, we have decided that the risk of playing before remedying my condition is too high. So I will spend the coming months figuring out the best course of action.

“For the past two months I’ve been so inspired by the opportunity to play in D.C. and committed to my game, spending every day at the rink to prepare for the upcoming season. The news was very difficult to process but after the last test result earlier this week we knew there was only one way to go from here.

“I want to thank the entire Capitals organization for not only giving me this opportunity but also for their support throughout this challenging time. I will take the next few weeks to be with my family and I’ll be back to share the next steps.”

This is just gutting news for hockey fans and, more specifically, Rangers fans. It was always going to be tough for Rangers diehards to watch Lundqvist play in another sweater, but this is not the way anyone wants to see the future Hall of Famer go out.

Let’s all hope that Hank can make a full recovery and return to the ice soon.