An all-timer with endless work ethic

TORONTO — One of Mika Zibanejad’s first big moments in a Rangers sweater began with nearly taking Henrik Lundqvist out of a 2017 playoff game.

During warm-ups inside a rowdy Bell Centre ahead of Game 5 of the Blueshirts’ first-round playoff series against the Canadiens, Zibanejad accidentally shot a puck off of Lundqvist’s head.

“I was so scared,” the Rangers’ longtime No. 1 center told The Post while sitting at his locker Sunday morning, the day before Lundqvist was to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. “He kind of limped out of the net and went around. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what the hell did I do?’ ”

The King, of course, shook it off and ultimately made 34 saves to help propel the Rangers to overtime, where Zibanejad scored the game-winner off a feed from Chris Kreider. Lundqvist let out an emphatic double fist pump into the air as he skated over to celebrate with Zibanejad and the rest of his teammates.

After the Rangers celebrated forcing an elimination game, which they capitalized on two nights later, Zibanejad had only one thing left to do.

“I went up to him after the game and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry,’ ” Zibanejad said with a smile. “He goes, ‘I don’t care. You can hit my head any time you want, as long as we win.’ ”

That is how most of Lundqvist’s Rangers teammates remember him: A fierce competitor who would’ve done or endured anything and everything to win. That lives on in the Rangers’ history book, in which Lundqvist is listed as the all-time leader in wins with 459 and shutouts with 64.

There has always been a deep admiration for Lundqvist’s work ethic from those who practiced with him on a day-to-day basis. The calming effect he had on the rest of the lineup — that knew Lundqvist could “save your ass” as one player put it — was remarkable.

“We almost got a chance to work together, it didn’t quite work out in Washington,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said, referencing how Lundqvist signed with the Capitals and never got to play due to his heart condition. “Certainly, first and foremost, I’m happy to see he’s healthy and doing well. He was a fierce competitor, boy.

“You knew that when you came into [Madison Square Garden] that you were going to need traffic and screens and volume, quality, all of it, because he was one of the best.”