BIOGRAPHY
Victor Hedman was born December 18, 1990, in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. He is a defenseman in the NHL.
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 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 defenseman 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 defenseman in Lightning history (127).
On 10 October 2019, Hedman skated in his 700th career NHL game. Hedman became the first Lightning defenseman to play in 700 games. On 5 December, Hedman scored his 100th career NHL goal. Hedman became the first defenseman in Lightning history to record 100 regular season goals and the seventh Swedish-born defenseman to do so. On 30 December, Hedman was announced as a selection for the 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game. On 23 August 2020, Hedman recorded 2 goals in a 3–2 loss against the Boston Bruins in the first game of the second round of the 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 two 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 defensemen. 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 4 goals set a franchise record for most goals by a defenseman in a single playoff series. The fifth goal extended his current Lightning record of most goals by a defensemen in a single playoff year. As the Lightning beat the 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 defenseman during a playoff year in league history, behind only Paul Coffey (12 in 1985) and Brian Leetch (11 in 1994). Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman on May 9, 2022 was named a Norris Trophy finalist for the sixth consecutive season.
