It’s not often that a movie about open heart surgery lands on a major streaming service, but the other night as I scrolled through Netflix I came across a movie titled “Open Heart.” Open Heart follows the journey of professional hockey player Henrik Lundqvist as he deals with the aftermath of open heart surgery and the physical and emotional toll of its effects on his career as a professional athlete.
Henrik’s Professional and Personal Life
I’m not a hockey fan, nor was I familiar with Henrik, but given the storyline, I couldn’t resist watching. As someone who also had open heart surgery to repair an aneurysm in my aortic root, I found Henrik’s story particularly moving.
The first part of the movie covers his rise from growing up in Sweden to making his New York, where he played for the Rangers for 15 years. As mentioned, I don’t follow hockey, so my apologies to any avid hockey fans who may be reading, but from the movie, I gather that Henrik is one of the best goalies of all time. Among his many athletic accomplishments, he helped the Rangers get to the 2014 Stanley Cup, their first time since 1994. He played for the Rangers for 15 seasons and was so beloved that fans nicknamed him “King Henrik.”
In addition to being a great hockey player, he’s a husband and a father of two girls. He was one of People’s World’s 100 Most Beautiful People in 2008 and was named Page Six Magazine’s top-25 best dressed in 2008. The movie played up his status as a sex symbol, and there was plenty of focus on his snazzy attire and his Aston Martin Vantage. He’s like the hockey version of David Beckham – super handsome and talented. No doubt he likes his martinis shaken, not stirred.
Medical Journey
It’s pretty clear that he was pretty on top of the world until he accepted an offer to join the Washington Capitals in 2020 after his long run with the Rangers. As he underwent a routine physical, his doctors noticed an abnormality in his heart. In fact, he had two abnormalities: a bicuspid aortic valve and an aortic aneurysm.
Henrik had known about his valve issues, which he confirmed in this interview where he mentioned, “I’ve been aware of a heart condition for 15 years. I had a leaky valve and at some point, you have to get it fixed. 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.”
In the movie, Henrik’s surgeon, Dr. Eric Roselli from Cleveland Clinic, references him having a bicuspid valve, which is a heart valve with two leaflets instead of the usual three. These leaflets control the flow of oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your aorta. A bicuspid valve causes the heart to have to work harder – hence the “pressure in the heart was too high.” Per the Cleveland Clinic, bicuspid valves are the most common congenital heart defects, affecting up to 2% of the population. Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease (BAVD) can lead to dilation of the aortic root – i.e., an aortic aneurysm, which is consistent with Henrik’s condition.
Emotional Impact
What I liked most about the movie, and what resonated most deeply with me, was the emotional toll that it took on Henrik as he came to terms with having to retire from his illustrious career as a professional hockey player. Any thoughts of potentially returning to the ice melted post-surgery as he developed pericarditis, or inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart. Dealing with a complication post-surgery is a double whammy, especially for someone who has built a career and identity around health and fitness.
The movie touches on spiritual concepts such as presence and acceptance, which are captured in some of his conversations with his manager. However, it was a solo trip to upstate New York that finally led him to full acceptance. In the movie, he states, “The guy who left Manhattan was irritated and disappointed…the man that came back was happy, relaxed, and in peace.”
That shift in mindset really captures the open heart surgery journey. It’s about fully accepting your reality, whatever it may be post-surgery, and finding appreciation and gratitude in your blessings outside of the things that your ego has attached to, which in his case was his career as a beloved hockey player.
Final Reflections
The movie wraps with him attending a ceremony at Madison Square Garden, where they retired his jersey. It was an emotional scene as he looked around the room, soaking in the cheers from his fans. I can only imagine he was simply happy to be alive.
If you’re a hockey fan or a fan of Henrik, I suspect you will already be aware of this story and will enjoy this inside view of his personal health journey. If, like me, you aren’t so much a hockey fan but have experienced open heart surgery or health challenges in general and find inspiration in watching others overcome, Open Heart is well worth your time.
Lastly, while Reddit may not seem the most credible source for medical analysis, I stumbled upon this thread where a medical student analyzed and hypothesized in an easily digestible manner the details of Henrik’s condition based on stated facts about Henrik’s case and the author’s medical training. It’s a fascinating read, with several other doctors chiming in with additional insight. Some of the facts that were speculated on in the thread – such as whether he had a bicuspid valve – are confirmed in the movie.
Long live the King!