On January 28th, New York and the hockey community came together to celebrate a king. A king of the ice, a king of the community, and the king of New York, Henrik Lundqvist. When Henrik retired from his hockey career on August 20, 2021, New York knew honoring this goalie legend was going to be a big celebration; not just for his career on the ice, but for his charitable work beyond it. On the night of the 28th, Henrik’s banner was raised to the rafters amongst many more hardworking and dedicated New York players.

 

While Henrik’s banner was being raised, the Young Ambassadors of the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation worked to raise money for the foundation and the Garden of Dreams Foundation. Being a part of the viewing party of Henrik’s Jersey Retirement Night in the Hulu Theater, the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation Young Ambassadors worked together to fill the theater with Rangers fans from all over to celebrate Henrik’s hockey and charitable success throughout the years. New York Rangers Alumni, honorable hockey memorabilia, and Henrik himself made appearances at the event.

 

Since 2018, the Young Ambassador Foundation has acquired an Alumni Network which has a past ambassador as its president each year. The past four Henrik Lundqvist Young Ambassador Alumni Presidents; Julia Esposito, Carly Peterson, Allen Magie, and Julia Huth, were also brought on stage to say a few words about their experiences and memorable moments in the foundation. The entire Young Ambassador past and present groups sold over 100 tickets to the event which benefits HLF and GODF. YAs, Tyler Bhalla, Casey Theriault, Adam Zocks and Jillian Wexler were the top ticket sellers and fundraisers, earning them prizes including a signed jersey and a future visit to MSG Network Studios with Henrik himself.

 

The dedication and hard work of the Young Ambassadors in the foundation helped make this night an extreme success for both the Lundqvist and Garden of Dreams foundations. Henrik not only left an impact on his hockey fans. He left an impact on the young group of individuals he inspires to make a difference in our own communities every day.

 

Written by HLFYA Alumni and Former Alumni Network President Julia Esposito