Victor Hedman's historic postseason run

Few defensemen in the National Hockey League have been as productive in a postseason as the Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In leading the Lightning to within one win of the franchise's second ever Stanley Cup, the 29-year-old Hedman has accomplished a feat only two other defenseman in National Hockey League history have reached.

With his power-play tally one minute into the second period of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against Dallas - a pivotal goal that swung momentum back in Tampa Bay's favor and ignited a dominating middle frame where they scored three times to build a 5-1 lead in an eventual 5-2 victory - Hedman netted his 10th goal of the 2020 Playoffs and joined Paul Coffey (12 goals in 1985) and Brian Leetch (11 goals in 1994) as the only defensemen to score 10 or more goals in a single playoff season.
Hedman ranks tied for fourth in the NHL among all skaters for playoff goals in 2020. No other defenseman has posted more than seven this postseason.
"I like to contribute offensively, but I think (Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov) said it the last game, we're not here for personal stats, we're here for one thing and that's the Stanley Cup," Hedman said after Game 3 about joining rarified company among league defensemen for playoff scoring. "When I get the puck on my stick, I make a pass or shoot for goal, but happy with the way things have been going. At the end of the day, it's about helping our team win and even if it's by a goal or a blocked shot, it doesn't really matter to us. The end goal is still the same."
The list of Lightning franchise records Hedman has established for a defenseman this postseason is remarkable.
- His 10 goals are by far the most by a blueliner in Lightning history, shattering the old mark of four goals Hedman set himself during the 2016 run to the Eastern Conference Final.
- Hedman has 20 points this postseason, more than any other Bolts defenseman through the franchise's 28-year history and far outpacing his 14-point playoff seasons from 2015 and 2016 which was the previous standard for playoff scoring.
- Hedman's three power-play goals and eight power-play points are both franchise highs for a defenseman in the playoffs.
- He's scored four goals in both the Second Round versus Boston and the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Islanders, matching his own record for goals by a defenseman in a single playoff series.
"When I came into the League, Heddy was already a really, really good defenseman," said Lightning forward Tyler Johnson, who has played with Hedman for eight seasons since being recalled from the Syracuse Crunch for his first NHL action in 2012-13. "I think over the years, you can kind of see his confidence grow, his ability to make plays, the next level. I think he's even stronger than what he was before too. He's really just grown into the beast he is now, and he's a guy that we heavily rely on. I'm pretty thankful he's on our team."
Hedman's 21 points through 24 playoff games are tied for the 12th most in a playoff season in NHL history, putting him in the same category as former League greats like Chris Chelios, Larry Robinson, Ray Bourque and Denis Potvin.
The record for defenseman points in a postseason is 37 set by Paul Coffey in 1985. That's out of Hedman's reach. But if he gets just four more points, he'll be tied with Denis Potvin (1981) and Ray Bourque (1991) for the fourth-most points ever by a defenseman in a single playoff year.
"He's unreal. He makes my job a lot easier," said Jan Rutta, who partnered with Hedman through much of the regular season and since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. "It's just fun to see how he's playing right now."
As much as he's driven the offense from the backend, Hedman maybe be even more valuable to the Lightning defensively.
Hedman has the second highest on-ice goals for percentage at 5-on-5 in the 2020 Playoffs on the Lightning at 67.5 percent, behind only Yanni Gourde (71.4%). Hedman's been on the ice for 24 goals and only on the ice for 13 goals against for a plus-14 differential in over 636 minutes of action this postseason. And that's playing against opponents' top lines and best players every single game.
He's averaging 26:31 minutes a game, the highest time on ice of any player from the Lightning or the Stars and seventh highest this postseason.
It's a luxury for head coach Jon Cooper to know you can basically put him on the ice for half the game and good things are going to happen for you every time he hops over the boards.
"Take last night for example. So we're down to 10 forwards and that first overtime, we were dragging. Our tongues were dragging. I think we went almost 20 minutes without a shot from late in the third period to well into overtime," Cooper told TSN Toronto 1050 after Tampa Bay's 3-2 double overtime victory over Boston in Game 5 of the Second Round to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, highlighted by Hedman's series-clinching goal 14:10 into the second OT. "The one guy that was still leading the rush up and down the whole thing was Hedman. Some of those guys are blessed with that. I think of Duncan Keith back a few years ago, some of those guys that can just play minutes at such a, it's amazing how they can keep that high level…Hedman's one of those guys. When you're blessed kind of with that size, strength, speed, skill and then the stamina that he has, it's unreal that he's on your side. So I think nobody was getting really any decent scoring chances at all except for maybe the last 15, 20 minutes of the game, but the guy that was was Victor Hedman, and a big part of that was because he's a gazelle. It's been awesome to watch so far."
When Kevin Shattenkirk had an opportunity to choose his destination as a free agent this summer after having his contract bought out by the New York Rangers, he cited the ability to play with Hedman, a Norris Trophy finalist for the fourth-consecutive season in 2019-20, the first to do so since fellow Swede Nicklas Lidstrom, as a motivating factor to come to Tampa Bay.
Seeing Hedman in person every day in practice sessions and playing with him rather than against him has given Shattenkirk a new appreciation for just how valuable the 6-foot-6, 229-pound hulk can be for a team.
"I think I certainly had high standards for him coming into the season," Shattenkirk said. "I've always kind of thought he's been the best if not one of the best players and defensemen in our League for a long time. I just think that his drive to be the best, I think that's something that when you look at some of the best players in the League, they want these challenges and they want these opportunities to prove it. I think he rises to the occasion in the toughest moments. Just his, when you go to his abilities, to play the game at his size and be able to skate the way that he does and have the skillset is unbelievable. It's fun to watch and great to be able to play alongside him now."
When the Lightning drafted Hedman with the second overall pick in the 2009 Draft, they hoped he could become the cornerstone defenseman to build a team around.
He's been all that and more. His leadership has grown exponentially, from being a shy, timid rookie to one of the more vocal players in the locker room this postseason and consistently a player that leads by example.
He's genuine, humble, down to earth. He's one of the nicest guys in the League. Johnson said when he first got to the NHL, Hedman invited him over to his house. Johnson left that evening with a TV after mentioning he didn't have one yet. Hedman gave him one of his.
He's a pillar in the community, especially with his charity work with The Humane Society.
And he's been the driving force - and a leading Conn Smythe candidate - in bringing the Bolts to the brink of lifting the Stanley Cup.