The New York Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist discusses his latest media venture and finding drive and purpose following his Hall of Fame hockey career.
After a legendary career featuring 459 wins, a Vezina Award for the NHL‘s best goaltender, five All-Star appearances, an Olympic gold medal, and his No. 30 hanging from the Madison Square Garden rafters, New York Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist is launching a podcast as part of his post-retirement plans.
Coming soon, the 41-year-old Swede will host “Club30” with friend and entrepreneur Jay Liddell through Audiorama, MSG Sports, and Powerhouse Capital, the companies announced Thursday.
The eight-episode first season will premiere April 5 and feature conversations with New York City’s most fascinating, eclectic figures in sports, business, music, and more like Eli Manning, fellow Rangers goalie great Mike Richter, and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg.
In addition to his eponymous foundation and partnerships with Tag Heuer, Porsche, Head & Shoulders, Unibet, and Bread & Boxers, Lundqvist has also done broadcast work for MSG and Warner Discovery Sports as he tries to navigate life after a career that will surely land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“What was driving me for so many years was performance and trying to achieve and win. Now it’s more about having fun, having great people around me, and trying to get inspired by different things and different people,” Lundqvist told Boardroom. “New York is such a good place in that way, where you get an opportunity to explore, learn, and meet very interesting people. That’s my mindset. I’m still trying to figure out my path, but it comes down to having fun, really. That’s where it starts, and it guides me through a lot of the decisions I’m making right now. Is it fun or is it not? And then it’s easier to make that decision.”
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Liddell and Lundqvist first met in 2006 and quickly bonded over sports, music, cars, and food. They wound up meeting countless interesting people in NYC after games, concerts, and dinners; during the height of the pandemic, the two ended up getting takeout every week, conversing about everything under the sun but always focused on the how and why of things.
What started as just an excuse to hang out with one another during the darkest times was internally branded as “the Tuesday Night Club,” quickly becoming an important part of their routines. Club30 was born as a way to get audience members a seat at the table to all these conversations centered around their unique relationships with New York City that would normally take place behind closed doors at dinner tables, social clubs, and exclusive nightlife haunts.
“If they’re passionate about the same things that drive and light up a lot of New Yorkers and have a very obvious relationship and love affair with New York, then they’d be a good fit for the show,” Liddell told Boardroom.
Lundqvist is in love with New York City’s spirit and vitality. After spending NHL offseasons in Sweden during the summer, he’d always come back to New York in late August and feel a certain rush.
“Coming through the tunnel from the airport, I just feel this energy on the street, even inside my body, coming into the city,” he said. “And it was the same thing playing for so many years. Every time coming back from road trips, there’s something about the energy, the hardworking people, the diversity and different backgrounds, the things to do, eat and experience. You get used to it when you live here for a long time, but then when you go to other places, you realize how special the city is.”
While Lundqvist is still working on his guitar skills after the Rangers gifted him with a custom instrument in team colors upon his jersey retirement last year, he’s always been known for his suave and sophisticated fashion sense. Wearing a Breitling watch and an F&F jacket, Hank has something to say about his dapper sartorial inspirations, too.
“When I was younger, I explored a lot when it came to fashion with a lot of different looks,” he said. “Looking back now at old photos, I’m wondering what I was thinking, but I guess you have to go through a period in life where you explore and try to find what’s you. I like the well-dressed look, but there’s definitely an influence from music and rock and roll.”
For the vast majority of his life, what drove Lundqvist was winning. He had to be focused to improve every day at his craft and achieve very set, straightforward, easily defined goals. In his post-playing life, a big change in life for Lundqvist was not having results nearly every day.
“Now it’s not like you get that answer every day, was today good or bad? What drives me and keeps me focused? I just don’t look at it that way anymore,” he said. “To me now, it’s more about feeling good than trying to be super focused all the time. To me right now, achieving is feeling good and being happy.”
Right now, part of Lundqvist’s path to happiness and feeling good is hosting a podcast that provides him an opportunity to learn from people with passionate and purposeful live with interesting stories to tell and lessons to impart.
“Hopefully the listeners will enjoy the stories and also learn something that could help them along the way,” Lundqvist said.
Soon, everyone willing to listen will now become honorary members of Club30.
