Ryan Lindgren And Charlie Lindgren are in the same division now, so there’s not much time to see each other. The brothers — Ryan, the Rangers defender, is just under five years younger than Charlie, the Capitals goalie — never had much confrontational history before the NHL Because of their age difference, Rangers-Caps games this season have drawn intense interest from family and friends in Minnesota.
The Lindgrens were in large numbers at the afternoon games in Washington and New York on Jan. 13 and 14. That’s when we decided to see if the brothers could come up with five questions for each of them — maybe something to evoke a fond memory, maybe something to poke a little fun at. They were both up to the task, even though we couldn’t meet them in person because of the busy season.
So we’ll start with Ryan’s five questions, along with Charlie’s answers and a little commentary from Ryan.
Ryan: Which Lindgren brother has the best facial hair?
Charlie: I’ll give my opinion on this. I have a mustache, I keep it pretty well maintained. Ryan, I think his beard can get a little out of control. My dad doesn’t have a lot of facial hair. Our brother Andrew (a Minneapolis firefighter), he sometimes wears a mustache. (Ryan) lets it go, that’s kind of his style. It gets down to the details, with the facial hair, he’s not detailed enough.
(Ryan’s response: Never mind.)
Ryan: Who was your goalkeeping idol when you were young?
Charlie: I was a huge fan of Henrik Lundqvist. I always admired the way he played. He was a fierce competitor, a winner, he was definitely one of my favorites. I always liked Cam Ward too, I kind of modeled my game after him. My first favorite was Bulin Wall, Nik Khabibulin, around 2004, mostly because of his nickname, the way his helmet looked. Those are the goalies that come to mind. I’ve never met Henrik. It would be a huge honor to meet him. Maybe Ryan can set that up someday.
Ryan: What’s the worst Christmas present you’ve ever given me?
Charlie: I have a feeling we’ll be on the same page on this one, ha. On our team this year, we have a bunch of bobbleheads, the gifts they give at the games… John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, Darcy Kuemper —and my wife and I wrapped them all up and had Ryan open them. A great gift, no doubt.
(Ryan: I didn’t understand anything at all! I mean, there wasn’t even a single one from him. What am I supposed to do with that?)
Ryan: Who was your biggest enemy as a hockey player when we were growing up?
Charlie: My nemesis, someone that comes to mind, there were games where I shut him down and he was able to get a few against me, was Justin Kloos — I went to Lakeville North, he went to Lakeville South, he went to Waterloo in the USHL when I was in Sioux Falls, he played for (the University of Minnesota) when I was at St. Cloud State. He was always a tough player to play against.
(Ryan: It definitely wasn’t me, I was too young to play him much and I was never a great goalscorer.)
Charlie, on ever giving Ryan advice on how to score on goalies: Ryan doesn’t appreciate my advice on any subject. He won’t even let me start. He’s very specific about who he gives advice to.
Ryan: When I got injured in Washington last season (on a whim) TJ Oshie February 25), Goody (Barclay Goodrow) challenged Oshie to a fight right in front of where Charlie was sitting on the Caps bench. Who were you rooting for in that fight?
Charlie: Obviously I have to support my guy TJ Oshie. I could see Ryan getting the puck, trying to get to the red line, I could see Oshie lining it up. I couldn’t see the contact, but I could hear it. Seeing Ryan down was not fun for me at all. Even TJ asked me for Ryan’s number so he could text him. He was really bummed about the whole thing. I respect Goodrow for asking TJ to step up, he showed leadership in that regard. If I had to pick one, I would have to side with TJ. He’s my teammate.
(Ryan: I knew that.)
And now for the reverse, Charlie’s five questions for Ryan.
Charlie: What bothers you the most? Adam Foxon or off ice?
Ryan: He’s a hard guy to argue with, he always thinks he’s right. That’s the main thing that comes to mind about Foxy.
Charlie: When you scored that winning goal against the Sabers a few years ago, with (0.4) seconds left, where did you find this cell phone?
Ryan: Ha, I’m glad he noticed… It was just a pure reaction, quite a surprising moment to score so late in a game, so I was so excited. I’ve never hit the glass like that before, so it was a first for me.
(Charlie: I loved that one! It was kind of like his welcome to the league moment in terms of a big goal, so we were all pretty excited for him.)
Charlie: What is your favorite thing about playing for the Rangers and living in New York?
Ryan: It’s a great group of guys in the room, it’s really nice to hang out with them. And as far as being in town, just to say you’re playing for the Rangers and the way the fans are, it’s a special place. I couldn’t ask for a better place.
Charlie: Who was your NHL idol growing up?
Ryan: Probably (Ryan) Suter. He was the big signing of the Savage (in 2012). I was at the right age I think, I was so passionate about hockey that I was already a huge Wild fan. He was the guy I idolized and tried to be a little bit like him. He’s got, what, 1,200 games under his belt? (Actually, he’s got 1,410 and counting). So he’s a really good player to look up to when it comes to playing.
(Charlie: I was pretty sure he was going to say Nik Kronwall.)
Charlie: The last question for him and the one the whole family wants to know: why is your face a magnet for sticks, pucks and other flying objects?
Ryan: That’s a good idea, I wish I knew. Maybe I have a little bit of a goalie side to me and everything is drawn to my face for some reason. It seems to be a little better lately, though… When we were kids, we played a lot of street hockey, so I probably lost a few balls on my face. But not as much damage.
