One club, a thousand games.
When the teammates stepped onto the ice for warm-ups, they all wore Victor Hedman’s number 77 on their arms and the number 1,000 on their backs.
– You are a fantastic player, a great leader and an even better friend, said former teammate Ondrej Palat in a greeting to Hedman that was played during a ceremony before the match.
A total of 677 points, of which 148 goals and 529 assists, have been since Hedman went as the second pick in the draft when Tampa Bay selected him in 2009.
Seventh Swedish slope
He has remained there, no wonder considering the successes. So far, Hedman has managed to win the Stanley Cup twice and the Norris Trophy as the league’s best back once. In 2020, he was named the playoffs’ most valuable player.
Hedman is the seventh Swedish defender to reach 1,000 games in the NHL after Nicklas Lidström (1,564), Börje Salming (1,148), Calle Johansson (1,109), Ulf Samuelsson (1,080), Alexander Edler (1,030) and Fredrik Olausson (1,022).
– It is super special. Something a guy from a small town in Sweden never thought possible, says Hedman, who came to Tampa Bay from Modo.
Proud dad
Before the milestone, father Olle Hedman wrote a loving letter to his son which was published on the club’s website.
“Now you have played more games in Tampa than any other back. Just think about it,” writes the father and continues:
“You came to this city when you were 18 years old with a great weight of the world on your shoulders. You were labeled ‘the best Swedish defender since Nicklas Lidström’. You took that pressure as a privilege. You embraced it and started fighting”.
In the current season, Hedman has 25 points, of which five goals and 20 assists, in 26 games played. During the night’s game, he went scoreless.