Usually, when a hockey fan hears the name Lundqvist, their mind instantly reverts to the goalie who wore New York Rangers blue and had Lady Liberty on his pads. However, there is another famous Lundqvist, a man of great integrity who also had a distinguished professional hockey career despite never finding a home in the NHL.
After 20 seasons in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and skating in the league’s second-most games, Joel Lundqvist recently announced his retirement at age 41. As many know, Joel is the brother of one of the NHL’s best goalies, Henrik, who should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2023. Furthermore, although Joel never reached the same level of success in North America, he carved out his legacy in his home country. As a four-time SHL champion, he also represented Tre Kronor at every opportunity, winning three World Championships.
Many fans in North America may not remember Joel’s brief stint with the Dallas Stars (2007-2009); however, they should recognize him from various international competitions. Even though he didn’t win the Stanley Cup, he achieved something so many people could hope for: to be a professional hockey player for two decades.
Lundqvist’s Humble Hockey Beginnings
Joel and Henrik are twin brothers born on Mar. 2, 1981, in Åre, Sweden. Interestingly, the pair grew up in an area of the country known for tourism and skiing. Eventually, the small community (3,500 people) would be named a top ten ski resort worldwide. Additionally, the most notable people from Åre are the Lundqvist brothers and a handful of famous skiers like Jon Olsson, Henrik Windstedt, Lars-Börje Eriksson, and Henrik Harlaut, who have achieved various levels of success on the international stage.
At age eight, Joel fell in love with hockey after watching the team he would eventually become captain of, Frölunda HC, with his dad and brother in Gothenburg, Sweden. Although his older sister was a promising young star in tennis, the family supported Joel, who eventually joined the Rögle BK junior program in the mid-1990s. Luckily, the Lundqvist brothers played together on a regional team in the Sveriagepucken from 1995 to 1997, with both recruited by the Frölunda junior program.
Nevertheless, Joel never played with Rögle BK since no statistics are available at EliteProspects.com. Therefore, he officially began his junior career in 1998 with Västra Frölunda HC J18 in the J18 Allsvenskan league, collecting 64 points in 32 games. His outstanding production earned him a promotion to the J20-level team. However, his numbers leveled off with 33 points in 34 games against older competition.
Internationally, Lundqvist was almost a point-per-game (P/G) player, tallying 13 points in 15 contests in various U17 and U18 competitions. Additionally, with modest success at the junior level, Joel was on the verge of making his SHL debut in 2000 before hearing his name called at the NHL Entry Draft that summer.
Dallas Stars Select Lundqvist in Third Round of 2000 Entry Draft
Anyone looking at the back of a Joel Lundqvist hockey card will be pleasantly surprised to learn he was a Dallas Stars third-round draft pick (66th overall). Interestingly, his selection came before players like Mike Rupp, Niclas Wallin, and Travis Moen, who would eventually win the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, the Rangers drafted Henrik in the seventh round (205th overall).
Six years after his draft day, Lundqvist signed a deal with the Stars in 2006 and reported to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Stars. Although he got a brief call-up in 2006-07, making his NHL debut on Dec. 4, 2006, against the San Jose Sharks, he spent the holiday season in Iowa before becoming an NHL regular in January 2007.
After 36 games in Dallas, he mustered up only six points with three goals and three assists while producing 38 points in 40 games in the minors. Coincidentally, he had a better performance in the AHL playoffs (ten points) than the two points he collected in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that season.
Even though he would split time between the two Stars’ teams in 2007-08, he spent more time in the NHL, suiting up for 55 games and earning 14 points. Surprisingly, Lundqvist collected half his point total (seven) in 18 playoff games, bringing his career total (including playoffs) to 29 points after two seasons. Unfortunately, after just six points in 43 games during the 2008-09 season, Joel opted to return to Sweden and played in his last NHL game on Apr. 4, 2009, against the St. Louis Blues.
Although Lundqvist never scored a hat trick, he did manage a single game-winning goal in his brief NHL stint on Feb. 13, 2009, against the Vancouver Canucks. Conversely, the highlight of his North American career occurred on Dec. 14, 2006, at American Airlines Arena when he became the first twin to play his sibling in NHL history when the Stars took on the Rangers.
Lundqvist Returned to Sweden in 2009 to Carve Out his Hockey Legacy in SHL
Before the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Lundqvist made his SHL debut with Västra Frölunda HC, skating in nine games and collecting no points as an 18-year-old playing against older opponents. Despite being a third-round draft pick, he decided to stay in Sweden for several years, building up his skills, and missed a total of six games between 2001 and 2006.
Lundqvist won his first professional championship in 2003, along with his brother Henrik in between the pipes. The duo helped Västra Frölunda HC to their first title since 1965, with a win over Färjestad BK in the Elitserien final. Although he had a modest 37 points that season to finish second in team scoring, he did rack up 113 penalty minutes.
Unfortunately, the team did not defend its championship in 2004, and Lundqvist failed to repeat his offensive output, registering 19 points in 50 games. However, Frölunda HC, who changed their name in 2004, won the 2005 Elitserien championship because Henrik earned league MVP honors and carried the team to victory. Even though one Lundqvist (Henrik) brother was off to the NHL after his championship heroics, the other stayed another season before also making the jump to North America.
Ultimately, the NHL didn’t work out for Joel, who returned to Frölunda HC for the 2009-10 season, where he earned a promotion to team captain, an honor he still has in 2023. In the 13 seasons since his return, he’s played in 84 percent of his team’s games (652/770) while compiling 368 points (0.51 P/G) during the same time frame. Additionally, he has earned 51 points in 96 playoff games from 2009-2022, signaling an increase in production (0.53 P/G) in meaningful contests.
After winning two championships alongside his brother, Joel eventually stepped out of the shadows and led Frölunda HC to an SHL championship in 2016 and 2019 at ages 34 and 37, respectively. Only four players in the league’s history have won five titles, leaving him in an elite group of 17 skaters claiming the Le Mat Trophy on four separate occasions.
Despite his success in the SHL, Lundqvist’s crowning achievement with Frölunda HC took place at the 2017 Champions Hockey League (CHL) tournament. Not only did his team repeat as champions, but he also earned the event’s MVP award thanks to having the best plus/minus rating, most assists, and best faceoff win percentage.
Furthermore, Lundqvist shares a record with Patrik Carlsson (Sweden), Mats Rosseli Olsen (Denmark), and Sebastian Stålberg (Sweden) as the only players in CHL history to win four titles, a number that brings his professional championship wins to eight.
On the International Stage, Lundqvist was Sweden’s Heart & Soul
Lundqvist was not a star with Team Sweden during his junior days, collecting a combined 20 points with the U17, U18, and U19 teams. However, he scored the clinching goal in the J20 Nationell Championship game (2000) and earned a U18 World Junior Championships (WJC) bronze medal in the same season. Additionally, he only played at the WJC once at 19, in 2002, picking up two points in seven games.
Eventually, he joined the senior teams and played at his first World Championship in 2005-06, collecting a single goal in eight games. Despite gaining valuable experience in international hockey, with 46 games from 2002 to 2006, Lundqvist did not qualify for the Sweden Olympic Team in 2006. Unfortunately, he missed out on playing with a team stacked with NHLers, including his brother, who would lead their home country to their second-ever Olympic hockey gold medal.
Although he missed out on that opportunity, he was there in the spring to celebrate Sweden’s World Championship, one of the few teams in history to win both an Olympic and World title in the same season. Eventually, he would be a part of the leadership group on two more World Championship teams, serving as an alternate captain in 2013 and then as the captain in 2017. Ultimately, Lundqvist became only one of four Swedish players to win three World Championships. As of today, no one from a Scandinavian country has ever won four.
Related: Team Sweden Men’s Roster & Preview for 2018 Winter Olympics
Furthermore, Lundqvist’s crowning achievement in international hockey came in 2018 when he finally got to play for Sweden at the Winter Olympic Games. On top of being selected to the team for the first time in his career, he was named captain, an honor bestowed upon only a few players in the country’s history.
Unfortunately, the team did not earn a medal; however, the Swedish Hockey Federation recognized Lundqvist’s dedication to the sport and his home country. Although he wasn’t the team star, he was the legacy player, the one everyone rallied around to get a win. Sadly, since the 2017-18 season, Lundqvist has not played any hockey outside of the SHL, ending his international career as one of the most tenured players ever to represent Sweden on the world stage.
Professional Successes Can Be Measured in Various Ways
Most hockey fans believe the NHL is the top league in the world and that someone’s hockey career is only measured by what they achieve within the confines of North America. However, there are professional hockey leagues across the globe with talented players who never get scouted or have the desire to leave home.
Winning the Stanley Cup is a significant reason to play in the NHL, yet there are other hockey trophies to win and records to chase down. Unfortunately, many have tunnel vision when discussing someone’s success. Whether they were successful in international hockey or another professional league, most shrug off those accomplishments and only look at their success in the NHL, which robs countless players of the merits they fought so hard to achieve.
Unless you were a Stars fan in the mid-2000s or knew everything about Henrik Lundqvist, only a few people could say they knew who Joel Lundqvist is. It is almost tragic to think about since he will go down as one of the greatest Swedish players of all time, someone who came home and helped grow the SHL and put on a Tre Kronor jersey whenever asked.
Related: Projecting Sweden’s 2024 World Cup of Hockey Roster
Although his brother casts a massive shadow in the hockey community, Joel managed to step away from it to forge his own identity and career without any significant comparisons to “The King.” Moreover, Lundqvist has left a lasting impression on a generation of Swedish hockey fans who didn’t need to stay up all night to watch games played in North America. All they had to do was go down to the rink in Gothenberg to see one of the country’s most decorated, unsung heroes.
