Henrik Lundqvist on His Charity, Masks and Fashion Choices

BY Jean E. Palmieri

New York Rangers star goalie Henrik Lundqvist is known for more than just guarding the net. He’s also become famous for his sense of style as well as his charitable endeavors. On Wednesday night, he hosted the second edition of Unmasked, where he showcased several one-of-a-kind goalie masks that he’s worn during his career, including at the World Cup and the Olympic Games. The event was a fund-raiser for the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation, which strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults around the world through education and health services. Lundqvist took a few minutes to speak to WWD before the doors opened at the Samsung event space in the Meatpacking District about his masks, his fashion choices and the Rangers chances to play for the Stanley Cup this year.

WWD: This is the second Unmasked event, so the first must have been successful.

Henrik Lundqvist: We’ve been doing something every year. We had a rock concert a few years ago to benefit the Garden of Dreams. And then two years ago we had the mask event. We try to do different types of projects and last time was a fun event so we wanted to do something similar this year.

WWD: How many masks are here tonight?

H.L.: I flew over all my masks from Sweden, including my first that I bought when I was 15. That was a little while ago so the masks looked a little different. I painted it myself, but actually the way it looks now is not the look it had when I played. I repainted it after I was done using it. There are 25 masks here and every one means something to me in different ways. Whether it was a big tournament or the playoffs or the outdoor games, they all have a meaning for me.

WWD: How many are you going to part with tonight? Are you going to auction them off?

H.L.: Just a couple for now. I want to keep most of them but there are a few. We’re not actually going to sell them tonight. I’m just going to let people know they can bid on them. I’ll have other items people can bid on, too, through Steiner Sports.

WWD: Are there any masks that you would never sell?

H.L.: Well, never say never. For the right reason, over the years I’ve been auctioning off masks for charity and it’s always for a good cause. I think you would regret it if you just sold it for money. You spend that money, and then what? At least now you know it’s going to a great cause. We’ll see how many masks I’ll keep in the future, but certain ones have more meaning, so I’ll hold onto them.

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