Victor Hedman

Victor Erik Olof Hedman (pronounced [ˈvɪ̌kːtɔr ˈhěːdman]; born 18 December 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut that year.

Widely considered to be one of the best defencemen in the NHL, Hedman is a six-time James Norris Memorial Trophy finalist, winning the award in 2018. Hedman won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in 2020.

Playing career

Modo Hockey

Hedman began his junior ice hockey career in the Swedish J20 SuperElit with the Modo Hockey organization. He recorded 25 points in 34 games during his first full season in the league in 2006–07. Hedman then turned professional and joined the Elitserien with Modo at age 16. At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, he was ranked first overall amongst all draft-eligible skaters in the International Scouting Services' preliminary rankings. In the same season, he was nominated as the SHL Rookie of the Year. Following his performance at the 2009 World Junior Championships for Sweden, Hedman was listed atop the rankings of European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Despite the unlikelihood of Hedman playing in Russia, he was drafted 83rd overall by the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)'s Spartak Moscow on 1 June 2009.

Going into the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Hedman was listed as the second-ranked player and top European player. He was drafted second overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning, behind John Tavares, who was drafted first overall by the New York Islanders.

Hedman has drawn comparisons to Hart Trophy-winning defenceman Chris Pronger, who is also 6' 6" and 220 pounds, as well as also being drafted second overall.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Early years in Tampa (2009–2013)

Hedman made his NHL debut for the Lightning on 3 October 2009, against the Atlanta Thrashers. He registered his first point, an assist, on a Martin St. Louis goal. His first NHL goal was then scored on 5 December against Dwayne Roloson of the New York Islanders. The 2009–10 season, Hedmans rookie season, ended with Hedman playing 74 games with four goals, 16 assists and 20 points.

On 5 January 2011, half way into his sophomore NHL season in 2010–11, Hedman checked Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby from behind, receiving a minor boarding penalty. The hit was one of two that were eventually blamed for causing a severe concussion on Crosby that kept him out of play for the rest of the season and most of the 2011–12 season. After ending the 2010–11 season with three goals, 23 assists and 26 points in 79 games and helped the Lightning clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2007, Hedman made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on 13 April 2011 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. On 15 April in game two, Hedman recorded his first career playoff assist and point on a goal by Eric Brewer. Hedman and the Lightning would make a surprisingly deep playoff run throughout the 2011 playoffs as they would eventually defeat the Penguins in seven games (after initially trailing 3–1 in earlier in the series) and then sweep the top seeded Washington Capitals in four games in the second round before getting defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games, one win short from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

On 29 November 2011, shortly into the 2011–12 season, Hedman signed a five-year, $20 million contract extension with Tampa Bay.

On 25 September 2012, it was announced that Hedman signed a contract with Barys Astana of the KHL during the 2012–13 NHL lockout. In January 2013, Hedman returned to the NHL after lockout ended, playing 44 games of the shortened 48-game season and registering four goals, 16 assists and 20 points.

Rising star amongst defenceman, Norris Trophy win (2013–2019)

During the 2013–14 season, Hedman had a breakout season, posting a career best in goals (13), assists (42) and points (55) in 75 contests played. In Game 4 in the opening round of the 2014 playoffs on 22 April 2014, Hedman scored his first career playoff goal on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. The Canadiens would eventually win the game 4–3 against the Lightning to complete the four game sweep.

Hedman picked up right where he left off to start the 2014–15 season. However, his strong start would be derailed after he suffered a broken finger in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on 18 October 2014, which was expected to rule him out of play for four to six weeks. At the time of this injury, Hedman was tied for the lead amongst NHL defencemen with seven points, and was considered a possible James Norris Memorial Trophy candidate for Defenceman of the Year entering into the season. Despite this injury, Hedman still had a productive season with the Lightning, scoring 10 goals, 28 assists and 38 points in 59 games played. After Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks on 6 June 2015, Hedman had recorded the most points by a Lightning defencemen in a single playoff year, with one goal, 11 assists and 12 points. On 8 June, during Game 3 of the Finals, Hedman recorded assists on goals by Ryan Callahan and Cédric Paquette to set the Lightning franchise record for most career playoff assists (20) and points (23) by a defenceman, surpassing Dan Boyle, who previously held the record with three goals and 19 assists (22 points). The Lightning would eventually lose the series to the Blackhawks in six games.

On 20 May 2016, Hedman recorded two assists in a 4–3 Lightning win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in game four of the Conference Finals in the 2016 playoffs on goals by Ryan Callahan and Jonathan Drouin, respectively. The two assists moved Hedman past Vincent Lecavalier (28) and Brad Richards (29) for number two all-time in playoff assists with the franchise. In game six on 24 May, Hedman became the leader in playoff games played for the Lightning. He surpassed former teammates Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, who were tied for the most playoff games played in franchise history. The Lightning would eventually fall in seven games to the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals by losing game seven 2–1 for a 4–3 defeat in the series, one win short from a second consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.

On 1 July 2016, the Lightning re-signed Hedman to an eight-year contract extension worth $7.875 million per season. In the previous season, Hedman led all Lightning defencemen in goals (10), assists (37), points (47) and plus/minus. He also led all Lightning skaters in assists, plus/minus, average ice time (23:03), takeaways (48) and blocked shots (132). He also posted a career high with a plus-21 rating. Hedman currently ranks third all-time in franchise history among defencemen in career points (229), behind Dan Boyle (253) and Pavel Kubina (243). He is also second all-time among defencemen in assists (180) and fourth for goals (49). Hedman ranks third all-time among Lightning defencemen for games played, trailing only Pavel Kubina (662) and Cory Sarich (490). In addition, Hedman is the Bolts' all-time playoff leader for points, goals, assists and plus/minus among defencemen. On 26 October, Hedman recorded his 50th career NHL goal. The goal came in a 7–3 Lightning victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. On 5 November, Hedman recorded his 187th assist on a Brian Boyle goal, which tied him with Dan Boyle for most career assists by a Lightning defenceman. The assist came in a 4–1 Lightning victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils. On 10 November, Hedman recorded his 188th career assist on a goal by Nikita Kucherov against the New York Islanders which is the most assists by a defenceman in Lightning history. Hedman is now seventh in franchise history in assists. On 14 November, Hedman recorded his 189th assist, which tied with Brian Bradley for sixth in assists in Lightning history. The assist came on a Ryan Callahan goal in a 4–0 Lightning win over the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center. On 15 November, Hedman recorded his 190th assist on a Steven Stamkos goal, which moved Hedman past Bradley for sixth all time in assists in Lightning history. The assist came in a 4–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. On 21 November against the Nashville Predators, Hedman recorded an assist on a Tyler Johnson goal, which was Hedman's 243rd career point. This put Hedman into a tie with Pavel Kubina for 10th place on the Lightning's all-time scoring list. Hedman also tied with Kubina for second all-time in points by a defencemen in Lightning history. On 23 November, Hedman recorded a goal in a 4–2 Lightning victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. This was Hedman's 244th career point, which moved him past Kubina for second in points by a defenceman and 10th in points in Lightning history. On 14 December, Hedman skated in his 500th career NHL game, which came in a 6–3 Lightning victory over the Calgary Flames. Additionally, Hedman recorded three assists on goals by Alex Killorn, Andrej Sustr and Brian Boyle respectively and thereafter needed two points to tie Dan Boyle (253) for most all-time points by a Lightning defenceman. On 16 December, Hedman recorded his 253rd career NHL point with an assist on a goal by Jonathan Drouin, which moved him into a tie with Dan Boyle. On 17 December, Hedman became the all-time leader in points by a defenceman with his 254th career point. Hedman also moved into ninth place on the all-time franchise list for all skaters. On 20 December, Hedman recorded his 200th career NHL assist on a goal scored by Brayden Point. Hedman also became the first defencemen in Lightning history to record 200 career assists. On 28 December against the Montreal Canadiens, Hedman recorded two points, a goal on Canadiens goaltender Carey Price and an assist on a goal by Ondřej Palát to move past Chris Gratton in to eighth place on the Lightning's all-time scoring list. On 10 January 2017, Hedman was named to the 2017 NHL All-Star Game as a member of the Atlantic Division team. On 23 February, Hedman recorded his 526th and 527th career hits in a game against the Calgary Flames, which moved him past Eric Brewer for the most hits in Lightning history. On 11 March, Hedman recorded his 287th career point in a Lightning uniform with an assist on a Nikita Kucherov goal in a 3–2 Lightning win over the Florida Panthers. This moved him past Fredrik Modin for seventh-most points all-time in franchise history. On 27 March, in a 5–4 overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Hedman recorded his 50th assist of the season to become the first defenceman in Lightning history to record 50th assists in a single season. On 30 March, Hedman recorded an assist on a goal by Jonathan Drouin in the second period to move him past Roman Hamrlík for the most points (66) in a single season by a defenceman in Lightning history as the Lightning would defeat the Detroit Red Wings 5–3. On 6 April in a 4–1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hedman recorded three assists on goals by Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Michaël Bournival to become the first defenceman in Lightning history to reach 70 points in a single season. Hedman also joined Börje Salming, Nicklas Lidström and Erik Karlsson as the only Swedish defencemen to reach 70 points in a single season. On 9 April in the 2016–17 season finale, Hedman recorded a goal and an assist on a Brayden Point goal in a 4–2 Lightning win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. Hedman's two points moved him past Brian Bradley for sixth all-time in franchise history in points (301). Hedman completed the season with a career high in goals, assists and points with 16 goals, 56 assists and 72 points recorded in 79 games played. His 56 assists led the Lightning in assists. Hedman and the Lightning would miss the playoffs by just one point in the standings. On 21 April, Hedman was named as a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the first time in his career, which is awarded annually to the NHL's top defenceman. Hedman finished third in Norris voting that season. On 21 June, Hedman was named as an NHL Second Team All Star for the 2016–17 season.

On 12 October 2017, Hedman skated in his 553rd NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which moved him past Brad Richards for fifth-most games played in Lightning history. On the same night, Hedman recorded his 66th career NHL goal, which moved him into a tie with Dan Boyle for second-most goals by a Lightning defencemen in franchise history. On 4 November, Hedman recorded two assists on goals by Steven Stamkos and Yanni Gourde in a 5–4 Lightning win over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets. The two assists moved Hedman past Václav Prospal (245) for fifth-most assists in Lightning franchise history. On 10 January 2018, Hedman was named to the 2018 NHL All-Star Game. Hedman also became the only defenceman in Lightning history to be named to multiple All-Star Games. However, he could not play due to injury and he was replaced by teammate Brayden Point. Hedman was unable to play in the All-Star Game due to an injury suffered prior to the event. However, Hedman did participate in the event by serving an assistant equipment manager. On 8 February, Hedman recorded a goal in a 5–2 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks. The goal moved Hedman past Pavel Kubina for the most goals by a defenceman in franchise history. On 3 March, Hedman recorded a four-point game in a 7–6 Lightning shootout win over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. With his four-point effort Hedman became the only defenceman in Lightning history to record multiple 4+ point games. On 20 June, Hedman won the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the first time in his career. This was Hedman's second consecutive nomination and second time for his career for the award. Hedman was the first defenceman in Lightning history to win the award.

On 29 December 2018, Hedman recorded his 300th career NHL assist on a Nikita Kucherov goal against the Montreal Canadiens. On 10 January 2019, Hedman skated in his 663rd game in a Lightning uniform in a 3–1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. This moved Hedman past Pavel Kubina for the most games played by a defenceman in franchise history. On 10 February, Hedman recorded his 400th career NHL point with an assist on a goal scored by Yanni Gourde in a 5–4 Lightning victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. On 5 March, Hedman moved past Dan Boyle for most power play points by a defenceman in Lightning history (127) with an assist on a goal by Brayden Point in a 5–2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Hedman finished the 2018–19 season playing 70 games with 12 goals, 42 assists and 54 points. The Lighting won their first Presidents' Trophy, tying the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings for a league record of 62 wins in an 82-game season. Despite the regular season dominance, the Lightning would get swept in the first round of the 2019 playoffs by the eighth seeded Columbus Blue Jackets. Hedman was a finalist for the Norris Trophy for the third consecutive season.

Continued success, back-to-back Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe Trophy (2019–present)

On 5 December 2019, Hedman scored his 100th career NHL goal against the Minnesota Wild. Hedman became the first defenceman in Lightning history to record 100 regular season goals and the seventh Swedish-born defenceman to do so. On 30 December, Hedman was announced as a selection for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game. Hedman was named a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the fourth consecutive season. On 23 August 2020, Hedman scored two goals in a 3–2 loss against the Boston Bruins in the first game of the second round of the 2020 playoffs. The goals moved Hedman past Vincent Lecavalier for fifth most points (53) in Lightning playoff history. On 25 August, Hedman recorded an assist on a goal by Blake Coleman in a Game 2 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins. The assist moved him past Steven Stamkos for fourth-most playoff points (54) in Lightning history. The assist also moved Hedman past Erik Karlsson and Calle Johansson for fourth-most playoff assists (44) among Swedish defencemen. On 31 August, Hedman scored the game-winning goal and series clinching double-overtime goal over the Boston Bruins. The goal was his fourth of the series and fifth of the playoffs. The four goals set a franchise record for most goals by a defenceman in a single playoff series. The fifth goal extended his current Lightning record of most goals by a defencemen in a single playoff year. As the Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals for their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, Hedman was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as the most valuable player in the playoffs. His 10 goals during the 2020 playoffs were the third-most by a defenceman during a playoff year in league history, behind only Paul Coffey (12 in 1985) and Brian Leetch (11 in 1994).

On 16 March 2021, Hedman recorded his 500th point in a 4–3 overtime win against the Dallas Stars with an assist on a goal scored by captain Steven Stamkos. On 17 April, Hedman recorded his 400th NHL assist on a goal scored by Erik Černák in a 5–3 loss to the Florida Panthers, becoming the first defenceman in franchise history to reach that mark. Hedman played in 55 games of the 2020–21 season, which was shortened to 56 games due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hedman was a Norris Trophy finalist for the fifth straight season. Hedman and the Lightning repeated at Stanley Cup champions in 2021 by defeating the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.

On 9 May 2022, Hedman was named a Norris Trophy finalist for the sixth consecutive season and sixth time in his career altogether after finishing the 2021–22 season with career highs in goals (20), assists (65) and points (85) and playing in all 82 games for the first time in his career. Hedman and the Lightning would reach a third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals (fourth altogether for Hedman's tenure and career) in which the Lightning would fall in six games to the Colorado Avalanche.

On 11 February 2023, Hedman recorded his 500th assist on a goal by Anthony Cirelli in a 3–1 victory over the Dallas Stars to become the 33rd defenceman in NHL history to hit the mark. Hedman finished the 2022–23 season with 9 goals, 40 assists and 49 points in 76 contests played.

Hedman played his 1,000th NHL game in a 4–0 Lightning win against the Dallas Stars on 4 December 2023. Hedman would finish the 2023–24 season playing in 78 games with 13 goals, 63 assists and 76 points.

International play

Hedman played for Sweden at the 2008 World Junior Championships, where he helped the team to a silver medal, losing to Canada 3–2 in the final, and was selected to the tournament All-Star Team. He later became one of the youngest players to play for Sweden's men's team when he made his debut at age 17 in an exhibition game against Norway. Hedman would once again play for Sweden's junior team at the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, where he met Canada for the second consecutive year in the gold-medal game, earning another silver medal in a 5–1 loss.

On 2 March 2016, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association named Hedman to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Hedman was joined by Lightning teammate Anton Strålman. The tournament ran from 17 September to 1 October 2016 in Toronto.

On 15 April 2017, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association named Hedman to its roster for the 2017 IIHF World Championship. On 28 April, Hedman was named as an assistant captain for the tournament. On 21 May, Hedman helped team Sweden capture gold in a 2–1 victory over Canada.

Personal life

Hedman has two older brothers – Oscar Hedman, who was also a professional hockey player that played for Modo Hockey; as well as Johan Hedman, who does not play professionally.

As a child, Hedman originally started out playing as a goaltender. He also played hockey on the streets together with his friends, among them, famous iRacing driver Fredrik Sellgren. His father, Olle Hedman, told his son that if he left the net, he would purchase him the new helmet that he coveted. He has not played in goal since that day. Victor said, "I'm thankful for that now. You never know what would have happened otherwise."

Hedman's other passions were flying (he has logged eight hours on a Piper PA-32), and football. His father said that his son would just outrun everyone on the field. Hedman still plays soccer in the summer, and religiously follows the sport. He supports Premier League side Manchester United In an article, it was revealed that when quizzed on any player on any Premier League team, he could not be stumped. His dad said that his son "probably knows more about football than hockey". However, "Hedman knew that hockey would be his future, encouraged by some of the game's greats. They'd come back every summer to play for a team called the Icebreakers, inviting Hedman to play." Some notable players on the team included Peter Forsberg, Markus Näslund, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Bäckström. Hedman said that "looking back at it now, it was an unbelievable experience".

In 2014, Hedman started a hockey school in his hometown. The spots in the school sold out in two hours. Hedman said that "to see the thrill in the kids' eyes, it's worth it all".

Hedman is from Örnsköldsvik and trains with the twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin in the off-season.

In a 2016 interview with The Hockey News, Hedman explained why he wears the jersey number 77. During his childhood in Sweden, he regularly watched Colorado Avalanche games; one of the Avalanche's star players at the time, Peter Forsberg, is Swedish. A memorable moment for Hedman came at the conclusion of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, when Avalanche captain Joe Sakic handed the Stanley Cup to teammate Ray Bourque (one of Hedman's favorite players), who had played 22 years in the NHL before winning a championship. Hedman wore the jersey number 41 in Sweden, but when he was drafted by the Lightning, that number was already worn by Mike Smith. Hedman chose his new number, 77, as a tribute to Bourque.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

Notes

References

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database