RIP Rico Hernandez

Late into the night on 11/20/19 Rico lost his battle with cancer.

One of my favorite memories of Rico was back in April when we were all getting ready before a hockey game. We were excited about the new gear we were being gifted as a team and spent some time discussing  the new tech in some of the gear and how advanced (and expensive) it has become.

I remember looking over at Rico who played in a pair of gloves that had to be 15+ years old and were completely worn down. I told him that we definitely needed to get him a new pair of gloves. He smiled and told me that he didn't need them because he wasn't going to play any better with them. The last time he got new gear (or sharpened his skates - no joke) was back when he played hockey in college and to give the gloves to someone else who really needed them.

That was Rico.

He wasn't flashy or loud. He worked hard and never complained. He was the guy who’d give feedback when others would criticize. He wouldn’t ever ask for anything but would give you the shirt off his back. Even with all of that his best quality was his ability to make people smile.  

We are all saddened by the loss of a great friend, teammate, brother, son and mentor.

All of the proceeds from this are going to his family as they try to work through this difficult time. I encourage you to share a story of Rico if you have one.

Thank you