Henrik Lundqvist breaks down in tears when asked about trade of Mats Zuccarello.

Short of someone dying of falling terribly ill this is one of the saddest moments I can remember in my time covering the National Hockey League.

As all of our readers will of course know we are currently at the height of trade season in the National Hockey League, one of the most exciting times for fans, as well as for people who cover the game, of the year. These days are filled with excitement, rumor and speculation as everyone scrambles to try and be the first to figure out where the big trades will happen and which teams will go from being playoff pretenders to serious contenders and even to legitimate threats to become the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions. 

It seems all good from the outside looking in but it's easy to forget that at the end of the day behind every single one of these deals are a number of human being who may be adversely impacted by the very things that get us so excited. Sure a trade involving a star player is a great thing for the fans, but for that players family, his wife, his children, and even his teammates it can be a devastating piece of news that well and truly rocks the foundations of their lives. I mean can you even imagine setting up roots in a city for over a decade only to be told by someone outside of your family that you're going to be playing hundreds if not thousands of miles away? 

Well in case anyone still struggles to realize just how much of an impact this can have on the lives of players in the National hockey League we were provided with a rather depressing example of it on Sunday courtesy of New York Rangers superstar Henrik Lundqvist. Now you would be correct in pointing out that Lundqvist himself has not been traded but that does not mean he has not been impacted by the trade deadline, I can assure you he absolutely has. 

On Sunday Lundqvist was asked about the trade that sent teammate Mats Zuccarello to the Dallas Stars organization this week and his reaction, although containing almost no words at all, spoke loud and clear. Lundqvist, to put it plainly, was unable to produce any words at all as tears ran down his face. The veteran goaltender has spent hundreds of hours in front of cameras and microphones and in spite of all his media training he was entirely unable to compose himself long enough to address the question. 

To be clear I don't view this as a sign of weakness from Lundqvist, quite the opposite in fact. The level of emotion he displayed on Sunday is a clear indication that not only is Lundqvist just a genuinely good person, but that he is incredibly loyal to his teammates and to his friends as well. If even one of the most experienced and one of the most composed players in the entire hockey world can be shaken up this badly by a trade that involved a long time teammate, so can any other player in the league.

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If you need a little cheering up after watching this, this feels good video from yesterday is guaranteed to make you smile.