Ryan Reynolds Gives New York Rangers Legend Henrik Lundqvist a Kiss on the Cheek

NY Rangers/MSG Sports Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Reynolds

Love was in the air — and on the ice! — for Ryan Reynolds Tuesday night.

Reynolds joined New York Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist and fellow Swede Alexander Skarsgård at Madison Square Garden in New York City to watch the Rangers take on the Minnesota Wild, whom they beat 4-3 following a three-on-three overtime and a shootout.

The Deadpool actor's excitement to be sitting with Lundqvist was palpable. The former goaltender, 40, is an icon at the Garden — one of just 11 players to have their jersey number retired, following an impressive 15-season run with the team — and he holds the record for most wins by a European-born goaltender in the NHL.

So when Reynolds, 46, saw his chance, he took it. He grabbed Lundqvist by the chin as the jumbotron flitted to their star-studded row of seats and planted a big one on him as Skarsgård, 46, hilariously pretended to snooze on Lundqvist's opposite shoulder.

The smooch quickly made rounds on social media, but it wasn't the first for Lundqvist that evening. In fact, Reynolds stole the move from Skarsgård, who planted a kiss on the former player's cheek earlier in the night — a move that was also caught on the jumbotron, to fans' delight.

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For Lundqvist, returning to the Garden was potentially a nostalgic moment.

The Swedish-born player, who was awarded the Golden Puck and Golden Helmet for his career in Sweden before coming to the Rangers, retired from the sport in 2021 following a diagnosis of a heart condition that he shared made "the risk of playing before remedying my condition too high."

He underwent open-heart surgery a month after announcing the diagnosis and, seven months later, announced his retirement from the league.

"I came to the conclusion that there are too many unknowns and too much risk for not enough reward for me to keep playing," he told the New York Post at the time.

NY Rangers/MSG Sports Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Reynolds

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"I've always been at peace with it," he told PEOPLE in January 2022 of his jersey retirement.

It was a tear-filled occasion, both for Lundqvist himself and his 100 loved ones in the crowd — 60 of whom had flown in from Sweden for the event.

"When I look back at my 15 years here, what gives me the most satisfaction is not the wins or the personal recognition," he said during his speech. "But it's really the commitment, the commitment I felt to the New York Rangers."

Returning to Madison Square Garden Tuesday — and being the object of both Reynolds' and Skarsgård's affection — brought him back to the place he called home for so many years.

"I think throughout my entire career, that place made me feel so many things, but most of all, it, I felt alive being at MSG," he told PEOPLE. "Feeling the pressure and so much adrenaline and also a proud feeling to be in there and represent the Rangers."