Robin Lehner

Robin Lehner (born 24 July 1991) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Nicknamed "Panda", he previously played in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and Chicago Blackhawks.

Lehner was born on 24 July 1991 in Gothenburg, Sweden, to parents Michael and Veronica Lehner.

Originally an association football player, Lehner made the switch to ice hockey at the age of 10, and was coached by his father.

Michael, a mixed martial artist with no goaltending experience, had been asked to train future National Hockey League (NHL) player Henrik Lundqvist around the same time as his son expressed an interest in learning the position, and so Lehner was often asked to try out drills meant for Lundqvist.

The intensity of Michael Lehner's training regimen created a strained relationship between father and son that reconciled with adulthood.

Lehner briefly attended high school in Sweden, but chose to drop out at the age of 14 after deciding that the public education system "did not work" for him.

Lehner's amateur career began with the J20 SuperElit division of the Swedish Frölunda HC, with whom he had an opportunity to back up Johan Holmqvist in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) if he could impress in the under-20 team.

His five OHL shutouts were also a league record, breaking Ray Emery's four-shutout season in 2001–02.

In 22 games with Frölunda during the 2008–09 season, Lehner had a 3.05 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.

The Senators selected Lehner in the second round, 46th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lehner learned how to goaltend from his father, who personally coached Henrik Lundqvist, and began playing hockey in the J20 SuperElit league.

In 2009, he turned down an opportunity to back up Frölunda HC goaltender Johan Holmqvist in the Swedish Hockey League, opting instead to move to North America, where he had an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) record five shutout appearances for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds during the 2009–10 season.

While Lehner represented Sweden at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships and the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, physical and mental health issues have prevented him from attending future international tournaments, including the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Although he was offered the position backing up Holmqvist for the 2009–10 SHL season, Lehner had already contemplated quitting ice hockey after extra blood vessels in his hamstring caused him acute pain on the ice.

He was only inspired to continue after he and his father took a trip to New York to see Henrik Lundqvist play for the New York Rangers.

That experience inspired Lehner to continue his career in a North American junior ice hockey program.

Coming off of his Swedish junior season, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Lehner the top European goaltender available in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Ottawa Senators, who had acquired an additional second-round draft pick in a larger goaltending trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, used that extra pick to select Lehner 46th overall in the 2009 draft.

More immediately, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) selected Lehner ninth overall in the 2009 CHL Import Draft, and he moved to Ontario to join the team for their 2009–10 season.

Despite missing time in November after contracting the H1N1 influenza virus during the 2009 swine flu pandemic, Lehner's one season with Sault Ste.

Marie was a success, with a 27–13–3 record, 2.88 GAA, and .918 save percentage.

Upon the conclusion of the Greyhounds' season, Lehner signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators, and he closed out the 2009–10 hockey season with the Binghamton Senators, Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

When he debuted with Ottawa in 2010, Lehner became the youngest goaltender in franchise history, as well as the youngest Swedish goaltender to appear in an NHL game.

He made his professional ice hockey debut on 9 April 2010, making 21 saves in a 6–5 victory over the Syracuse Crunch.

He also won his only other start with Binghamton that year, making 31 saves in a 3–1 defeat of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Although he was scheduled to open the season in Binghamton, injuries to both Ottawa's starting goaltender Pascal Leclaire and top prospect Mike Brodeur forced the Senators to call Lehner up to the NHL as a backup for Brian Elliott.

He made his NHL debut on 16 October 2010, stopping all three shots he faced in the five minutes at the start of the third period during which Elliott needed to repair his broken skate blade.

Only 19 years old at the time, Lehner became both the youngest goaltender in Senators history and the youngest Swedish goaltender to appear in an NHL game in his debut.

After one year in the OHL, Lehner joined Ottawa's American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, with whom he won the 2011 Calder Cup.

Lehner returned to Binghamton on 1 November and remained there until 12 January 2011, when he was once again called to fill in for an injured Leclaire.

He made his first NHL start the next day, taking the win with 20 saves in a 6–4 victory over the New York Islanders and breaking a six-game losing streak for Ottawa.

While Lehner only spent eight games in Ottawa, he spent an additional 22 in Binghamton, where he went 10–8–2 with a 2.70 GAA as a backup for Barry Brust.

Complications from the 2012–13 NHL lockout delayed Lehner's rise to the NHL, but he found a permanent spot in Ottawa's lineup by the season.

In 2015, the Senators traded Lehner to Buffalo, where, despite putting up solid save percentages through three seasons, he was plagued by inconsistency, and his overall record was limited by a poor Buffalo offence.

Lehner left a game in March 2018 with what was later revealed to be a panic attack, caused by undiagnosed bipolar disorder and an alcohol addiction that had begun when he sustained a concussion in Ottawa.

After spending time at a drug rehabilitation facility, Lehner signed a one-year contract with the Islanders, which culminated in his first William M. Jennings Trophy.

In New York, Chicago, and Vegas, Lehner often platooned the goaltending role with another veteran, such as Thomas Greiss, Corey Crawford, or Marc-André Fleury.

When Fleury was abruptly traded to the Blackhawks prior to the season, Lehner became the Golden Knights' starting goaltender.

Off the ice, Lehner has become an advocate for open discussion of mental health, addiction, drug addiction, and trauma, particularly within the world of ice hockey.