After 15 years, 459 wins and 64 shutouts, one of the greatest New York Rangers of all-time has left Broadway. It wasn't exactly a surprise when the Rangers bought out the final year of Henrik Lundqvist's contract, but it made the announcement no less sad.
A seventh-round pick in the 2000 draft, the Swede went on to own every significant record in team history, win a Vezina, finish in the top-five in voting six more times, and lead the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015.
As the tributes poured in, Lundqvist didn't hang up his skates. Instead, he'll vastly increase his chances to win the long-awaited Stanley Cup after signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Capitals. It will surely be an odd sight, but King Henrik is hardly the first future Hall of Famer to end his career with a team other than the one with whom he's most associated. So you think it'll be weird to see Lundqvist in red? He's got company there:
Ray Bourque: It's a similar situation to Lundqvist. After 21 years without winning a Cup and with Boston in midst of a rebuild, the Bruins and Bourque had different goals. But instead of a buyout, the Hall of Fame defenseman asked to be traded to a contender. So after 19 All-Star games and five Norris Trophies, Bourque's time in Boston ended with a deadline deal to Colorado in 2000. It worked out, as the Avalanche won the 2001 Stanley Cup in Game 7 with all of Boston cheering on their beloved legend, and we got the greatest Stanley Cup hand-off ever.
Martin Brodeur: The NHL's all-time leader in wins and shutouts, Brodeur was the cornerstone of a Devils team that won three Stanley Cups in nine years from 1995-03. But a decade later he was 40 years old and had played in just 68 games combined from 2012-14 before he hit free agency. Still wanting to play, his tenure in New Jersey ended after 21 years, and he signed a one-year deal with the Blues in December 2014. The experiment lasted all of seven games before he retired.
Gordie Howe: In these parts of Connecticut he's synonymous with Hartford hockey, as his No. 9 still hangs in the XL Center rafters. But let's be honest: he's a Red Wing through and through. When Mr. Hockey returned to play with his sons in the WHA at age 45 with Houston it was unusual to see him in a different uniform, but at least it wasn't in the NHL. Then in 1979-80 - by this point with the New England Whalers - the WHA folded and the NHL absorbed a handful of teams. Making his return to the league, Howe's final professional season (at age 51!) came with the Hartford Whalers, where he scored 14 goals in 80 games.
Guy LaFleur: The five-time Cup winner and two-time Hart Trophy recipient saw his initial NHL career come to an abrupt end at age 33. Unhappy with head coach Jacques Lemaire and being denied in his trade request, the Canadiens' legend retired early in the 1984-85 season. Inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years later, he made his return to the ice in 1988, but not with Montreal. He played one year with the Rangers before spending the final two years of his career with Quebec, making him one of three players to be active while a member of the Hall of Fame.
Brian Leetch: If you don't think Lundqvist is the greatest Ranger of all-time, chances are you're in the camp that it belongs to Brian Leetch. The Conn Smythe winner in 1994, Leetch spent 17 legendary seasons manning the blue-line in Manhattan, winning two Norris Trophies. But with the team facing a rebuild in the mid-2000s, Leetch was dealt to Toronto at the 2004 trade deadline, finishing the season with the Maple Leafs. After the lockout he became a free agent and played his final professional season in Boston in 2005-06.
Mike Modano: The greatest Star of them all, Modano was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 draft and became the face of the Minnesota North Stars before they moved to Dallas. Over 20 years he led the franchise to its only Cup in 1999 and became the best American-born hockey player ever. However his contract expired after the 2009-10 season and, at age 40, the Stars didn't re-sign him. So his final season came in Detroit, where he played in 41 games with the Wings before retiring.
Mats Sundin: Though he was drafted first overall by the Nordiques and spent his first four seasons in Quebec, the Hall of Famer is best known as a Maple Leaf, with whom he led in scoring in 12 of his 13 seasons and made both of his All-Star appearances. Upon the expiration of his contract in 2008, though, Toronto didn't re-sign him - they actually wanted to trade him at the deadline, but he wouldn't waive his no-trade clause. After taking a few months to decide his future, he signed a one-year deal that December with Vancouver, where he scored nine goals in 41 games.