The New York Rangers fan has collected every NHL jersey the now-Washington Capitals goalie has through his entire career.
Hernandez, 32, is from Dutchess County, New York and has been collecting Lundqvist jerseys since the Swedish-born goalie entered the NHL in 2005-06. His collection gained plenty of attention when he replied to a tweet from the League asking fans for their favorite jersey.
Hernandez started stockpiling Lundqvist jerseys during the late 2000s, while attending college at the University at Albany, and even started playing goalie because of Lundqvist.
"I first bought the Rangers home jersey when I was in college, and it was a big deal because I was broke," Hernandez told NHL.com. "Then from there I think I bought the (2012 NHL) Winter Classic jersey... and then it just kind of snowballed into saying I should just have every one he's worn.
"It's cool too, anytime someone comes to a game people ask me to borrow one. I usually take at least one person I know to their first Rangers game every season. Another fun time was when I saw the Rangers up in Montreal with five friends. We all rocked the No. 30 jerseys."
Hernandez couldn't pick one favorite jersey, but he prefers two that were particularly hard to come by - the one Lundqvist wore at the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game in San Jose and a blue jersey he wore for Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
"I called [Madison Square Garden] the day they came out in the summertime and ordered [a blue Sweden jersey] over the phone," Hernandez said. "They only had a few of those in stock and I hardly see the blue one around. Someone from Sweden actually offered me $500 for it when I was at the World Cup in Toronto."
But he couldn't bring himself to sell it. Hernandez has every Rangers jersey Lundqvist has worn, but there are still others he is clamoring for his collection.
"So far my collection has taken me about 12 or 13 years," Hernandez said. "There are also some tougher ones that are dream gets - the outdoor charity game jerseys in Sweden [and] an authentic Frolunda [Lundqvist's junior team in the Swedish Hockey League] jersey is tough to come by as well."
The Rangers and Lundqvist agreed to part ways after the 2019-20 season, and he signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Capitals on Oct. 9. Although Hernandez a huge Rangers fan, he has already ordered three Lundqvist jerseys - including the new adidas Reverse Retro jersey the Capitals unveiled Nov. 16 - and he will keep buying Lundqvist's jerseys as long as he plays.
"Basically, I want to try and have any jersey he'll have worn in his career," Hernandez said. "I'm definitely not done collecting, if he goes to another team next year, I'll get those as well."
