Victor Hedman

Victor Hedman
Hedman with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014
Born (1990-12-18) 18 December 1990 (age 33)
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Height 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Weight 246 lb (112 kg; 17 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Tampa Bay Lightning
Modo Hockey
Barys Astana
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 2009
Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career 2007–present

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 five-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 the 2020 playoffs.

Playing career

Modo Hockey

Hedman with Modo Hockey in September 2008

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

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.

On 5 January 2011, during 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 over a year.

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.

2013–2019

During the 2013–14 season, Hedman had a breakout season, posting a career best in goals (13), assists (42) and points (55). Hedman followed up his breakout season with a strong start to the 2014–15 season. However, his start would be derailed after he suffered a broken finger, which was expected to rule him out of play for four to six weeks. At the time, 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 the 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, Hedman had recorded the most points by a Lightning defencemen in a single playoff year, with 1 goal, 11 assists and 12 points. On 8 June 2015, during Game 3 of the Final series, Hedman set Lightning records for 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).

Hedman with the Lightning in September 2011

On 24 October 2015, Hedman played in his 400th career NHL game in an overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. On 20 December, Hedman recorded his 200th NHL point, which was an assist on a Nikita Kucherov power play goal. The point came during a 5–2 Lightning victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators. On 20 May 2016, Hedman recorded two assists in a 4–3 Lightning win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The two assists moved Hedman past Vincent Lecavalier (28) and Brad Richards (29) for number two all-time in playoff assists with the franchise. 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 playoffs games played in franchise history.

On 1 July 2016, the Lightning re-signed Hedman to an eight-year contract extension worth $7.875 million per season. Hedman led all Lightning defencemen in goals, assists (37), points and plus/minus. He also led all Lightning skaters in 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, 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 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 in a 4–0 Lightning win over the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center. On 15 November, Hedman recorded his 190th assist, 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, Hedman recorded an assist, 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, 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, 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. Hedman also became the first defencemen in Lightning history to record 200 career assists. On 28 December, Hedman recorded two points 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. This moved him past Fredrik Modin for seventh-most points all-time in franchise history. On 27 March, 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 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. On 6 April, Hedman recorded three assists 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, Hedman recorded a goal and an assist 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). On 21 April, Hedman was named as a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, 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, 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 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 nomination for the award in his career. Hedman was the first defenceman in Lightning history to win the award.

On 29 December 2018, Hedman recorded his 300th career NHL assist. On 10 January 2019, Hedman skated in his 663rd game in a Lightning uniform. 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 in a 5–4 Lightning victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. On 7 March, Hedman moved past Dan Boyle for most power play points by a defenceman in Lightning history (127).

2019–present

On 10 October 2019, Hedman skated in his 700th career NHL game, becoming the first Lightning defenceman to play in 700 NHL games. On 5 December, Hedman scored his 100th career NHL goal. 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. 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 Lecavalier for fifth most points (53) in Lightning playoff history. On 25 August, Hedman recorded an assist 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 for their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy 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 9 May 2022, Hedman was named a Norris Trophy finalist for the sixth consecutive season.

Hedman played his 1,000th NHL game against the Dallas Stars on 4 December 2023.

International play

Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Germany/France
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Germany
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2009 Ottawa
Silver medal – second place 2008 Pardubice
World U18 Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Tampere

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

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Modo Hockey J20 10 3 17 20 8
2006–07 Modo Hockey J20 34 13 12 25 30 5 1 1 2 44
2007–08 Modo Hockey J20 6 2 1 3 26 3 2 0 2 4
2007–08 Modo Hockey SHL 39 2 2 4 44 5 1 0 1 4
2008–09 Modo Hockey J20 2 0 2 2 10 5 0 1 1 2
2008–09 Modo Hockey SHL 43 8 14 22 52
2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 74 4 16 20 79
2010–11 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 79 3 23 26 70 18 0 6 6 8
2011–12 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 61 5 18 23 65
2012–13 Barys Astana KHL 26 1 20 21 70
2012–13 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 44 4 16 20 31
2013–14 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 75 13 42 55 53 4 1 2 3 2
2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 59 10 28 38 40 26 1 13 14 6
2015–16 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 78 10 37 47 46 17 4 10 14 14
2016–17 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 79 16 56 72 47
2017–18 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 77 17 46 63 54 17 1 10 11 10
2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 70 12 42 54 44 2 0 0 0 10
2019–20 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 66 11 44 55 31 25 10 12 22 24
2020–21 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 54 9 36 45 28 23 2 16 18 8
2021–22 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 20 65 85 36 23 3 16 19 10
2022–23 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 76 9 40 49 42 5 0 3 3 2
NHL totals 974 143 509 652 666 160 22 88 110 94

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2007 Sweden U18 6 1 2 3 10
2008 Sweden U18 4 1 3 4 10
2008 Sweden WJC 6 0 1 1 4
2009 Sweden WJC 6 0 2 2 6
2010 Sweden WC 9 1 1 2 6
2012 Sweden WC 8 0 1 1 14
2016 Sweden WCH 4 1 0 1 0
2017 Sweden WC 10 2 2 4 6
Junior totals 22 2 8 10 30
Senior totals 31 4 4 8 26

Awards and honors

Award Year Ref
SHL
Elitserien Rookie of the Year 2009
Årets Junior - Junior Player of the Year 2009
KHL
KHL All-Star Game 2013 (did not play)
NHL
NHL All-Star Game 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022
NHL Second All-Star Team 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
James Norris Memorial Trophy 2018
NHL First All-Star Team 2018
Stanley Cup champion 2020, 2021
Conn Smythe Trophy 2020
International
IIHF World U18 Championship bronze medal 2007
IIHF World U18 Championship All-Star Team 2007, 2008
IIHF World U18 Championship Top 3 Player on Team 2007
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament gold medal 2007
IIHF World Junior Championship silver medal 2008, 2009
IIHF World Junior Championship All-Star Team 2008
IIHF World Championship bronze medal 2010
Guldpucken 2015, 2021
IIHF World Championship gold medal 2017
IIHF World Championship Top 3 Player on Team 2017

Notes

  1. ^ Normally the Guldpucken is awarded to a player in Sweden, but Hedman won the award for his play in the NHL.

This page was last updated at 2024-03-21 15:06 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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