Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist spent a couple of days in New York this week before returning home to Gothenburg, Sweden, where he has spent the NHL lockout.

Before catching his flight yesterday, The King expressed his thoughts and emotions to the Post’s Larry Brooks.



I HAVE to admit, I was so excited on Tuesday when I walked past the Garden and got my first look at it in a long, long time.

So many different thoughts went through my head. I was thinking about how I missed being there, how frustrating it’s been not to be able to play and be with my teammates and in front of our fans.

Everything I was thinking came back to the lockout. That’s how it is every day with almost everything. Everything comes back to the lockout. It just makes me upset. The more I think about it, the more upset I am.

I can’t even remember the last time I’ve been away from hockey as long as I have been now. It feels so strange. Everything is off. Nothing is the way it’s supposed to be. It’s hard to imagine that it’s almost Christmas but the season hasn’t even started yet.

I miss it so much. I miss the game. I miss the excitement. I miss the challenge of pushing myself every day. I feed off competing. I feed off the energy.

I’ve tried to be positive. I have to admit that I never thought we would be out this long. I’ve never gone through anything like this before. The first couple of weeks were weird but then when I realized we might be out for a long time, I started to freak out a little bit. It’s hard to explain.

You feed off the game. It’s your life. I never imagined it would be this difficult for me not to play and how much I would miss it. I guess you take it for granted that you will always play.

It’s really hard for a lot of people to understand this. I don’t expect people to understand. Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand.

It was good at first to be able to go home with [my wife] Therese and have the chance for [my five-month old daughter] Charlise to say hi for the first time to everyone in our family and our friends. That’s the only good thing about this. But as much as Therese and I enjoy home, we miss New York. That’s where we should be now.

Coming back a couple of weeks ago and playing in the charity game at Atlantic City was the best I have felt in a long time. I had no idea what to expect, but it felt so good to be out there playing a game.

Of course it wasn’t just playing a game, it was the reason we were playing — to help raise money for the recovery from Hurricane Sandy — that also made it special. It’s so inspiring to see how everyone works so hard — and I don’t mean the hockey players — to help other people in need.

It was a great night. I loved every minute of it.

When I went past the Garden I thought about the excitement our fans bring that makes it so special. I know the fans are really upset, and they have a right to be. They deserve better. I really mean that. They are so loyal. They spend so much money for tickets and merchandise and to be there to support the team.

The fans deserve better. The game of hockey deserves better. I can’t even express how much I hope we’re back playing very, very soon.

I can’t wait to be in a Rangers uniform again.