Legendary NHL goalie Henrik Lundqvist retires after a dangerous heart condition ended his All-Star career

• NHL goalie Henrik Lundqvist announced his retirement from hockey on Friday.
• Lundqvist missed the 2020-21 NHL season after having open-heart surgery to replace an aortic valve.
• "For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey ... and now it's time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter," he said in his retirement announcement.

Legendary goalie Henrik Lundqvist announced on Friday that he's retiring from hockey after a 15-year career that was cut short after a serious heart condition diagnosis.

"For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey ... and now it's time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter," Lundqvist wrote in a statement published on Twitter. "The future excites me. I've met so many amazing people over the years that will help to guide and inspire me in my new journey."

The 39-year-old told fans in 2020 that he needed an aortic valve replacement for a "leaky valve."

He said in an NHL Network video released in April that he had known about the heart problem for 15 years, but that his condition worsened to the point he needed surgery.

"I had a leaky valve and at some point, you have to get it fixed," he said. "Over the course of a few months, things changed. The leak got worse and my aorta started to get too big and the pressure in the heart was too high."

Lundqvist, who played for the New York Rangers for over a decade before signing a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals last year, missed the 2020-21 season after having open-heart surgery in January.

Though he never won a Stanley Cup, Lundqvist was considered among the league's best goalies, being named an All-Star five times and winning the Vezina Trophy as the best NHL goaltender in 2012. In 2006, Lundqvist led the Swedish hockey team to Olympic gold.