Lundqvist's heart surgery announcement prompts outpouring of support

Henrik Lundqvist
announced Monday that he is scheduled to have
open-heart surgery
.

"Last three weeks my focus has shifted from training camp and the upcoming season to my health and what I can and can't do," the Washington Capitals goalie shared on Twitter. "Scheduled for an open-heart surgery now -- aortic valve replacement, aortic root and ascending aortic replacement to be more exact. ... We all have our mountains to climb. Staying positive here and set on the road to recovery."

The news came 11 days after Lundqvist's shocking announcement Dec. 17 that he would not play this season due to a heart condition. On Monday, NHL teams, players and fans took to social media to support Lundqvist and wish him well.

Tweet from @NJDevils: Sending you support and well wishes from Jersey.

Ottawa Senators forward Derek Stepan, Lundqvist's teammate with the New York Rangers from 2010-17, pretty much summed up the feeling around the League during a video call Monday.
"The open-heart surgery news was news to me today," Stepan said. "I did reach out to Henrik, I would say like two and a half weeks ago when the first news hit that he wasn't going to be able to play this year," Stepan said. "Had a very brief exchange in text messages, more so just, not really asking what was going on, just, you know, reaching out to him to make sure that he knows that the Stepans down here in Arizona, we're thinking about him and his family. ... I wish him and his family nothing but the best and I'm sure I'm going to reach out to him soon and make sure that he's doing great."
Teams and fans showed up in Lundqvist's replies, many fans sharing their stories and pictures of their open-heart surgeries as encouragement for Lundqvist.