Victor Hedman said he stepped away from the Tampa Bay Lightning this season to focus on his mental health.
"I've spent most of my life in this game, and nearly all of my career with this organization," Hedman said in a statement on social media before meeting with the media in Tampa on Tuesday. "Wearing that jersey -- and serving as captain -- is the greatest responsibility of my professional life.
"That responsibility doesn't only apply on the ice. Over the past couple of months, I made the decision to step away and focus on my mental health. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one."
The Lightning captain missed the final 15 games of the regular season and didn't play in Tampa Bay's seven-game Eastern Conference First Round loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
"I've always believed that being a leader means doing what's best for the team," the statement continued. "In this case, it also meant doing what was necessary to take care of myself, so I can be the best player, teammate, husband and father I expect to be."
The defenseman hadn't played since leaving during the first period of a 6-2 win at the Vancouver Canucks on March 19 because of an illness.
On March 25, the team announced Hedman was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. The 35-year-old had 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) and was limited to 33 games.
"Obviously, after that first period in Vancouver, that was the final straw," Hedman said while meeting the media on Tuesday. "So, it's something that's been going on for a long time. I went through ways to get around it, but I wasn't able to do that. So that's where the decision came that I needed to take some time."
Hedman was back to practicing with the team during the first round, but he never returned to the lineup.
He said what he hopes people take from his experience is that there is always help out there for anyone dealing with mental health issues, but you need to ask for it.
"Just don't stick with your thoughts," he told the media. "There are a lot of people out there that can help you and that's what I found out. And like I said, it's not too late, either."
He thanked his teammates and former teammate Steven Stamkos, now with the Nashville Predators, for helping him.
Hedman especially thanked his therapist, who he said, "has no clue what hockey is."
"She's learning, you know, that's kind of nice," Hedman said, "She's not focused on me as a hockey player, she's focused on me as a person, so it's been great. She's been a tremendous help. She's one of the big reasons I'm standing here today."
"I've been fortunate to have strong support from my family, my teammates and the organization, my therapist and I'm in a much better place today," Hedman said in the statement.
Hedman played the first 15 games of the season but sustained an undisclosed injury on Nov. 8 and didn't return until Dec. 6, missing 12 games. He played just three games after that before being placed on injured reserve Dec. 11. Four days later, the Lightning announced he would have a procedure on his elbow that would likely keep him out until February. Hedman missed 22 games.
He played Tampa Bay's final three games prior to the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics before joining Team Sweden but missed a 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA in the quarterfinals with a lower-body injury he sustained during warmups. Hedman recovered in time to play for the Lightning when they resumed play Feb. 25 and skated in their first 12 games after the break before leaving against the Canucks.
"It was obviously a very difficult season for him, (but) I'm very proud of how he handled it all,” general manager Julien BriseBois said Tuesday. “As always, he put the team first -- he put his family, he put everyone else first and came in second. The courage he showed in being open today and addressing, not just today, but even when he left the team, it took a lot of courage to do that. That was the right thing to do for him, for us, for his family.
“I'm really proud of him and the work he's done. I'm glad he's much better. I'm glad he's in a good spot and I'm glad he's going to be on our team next year and I expect him to have a good season."
The No. 2 pick by the Lightning in the 2008 NHL Draft, Hedman is first in team history among defensemen in games (1,164), goals (172), assists (639) and points (811). He helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the 2020 postseason. Hedman also won the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL in 2017-18.
"'Heddy' is one of my closest friends on the team," defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "What he means to us not even on the ice, but off the ice, the person that he is, the kind of human that he is...I just want to try to be there to support him because he's done that his whole life for us in different fashion and sacrificed so much for this city, this team and this organization. He seems like he's his old self again and feeling better about himself, that's all we can ask for."
Hedman said he hoped coming forward with his mental health issues with help others.
"This is something that exists in our game more than people see," the statement read. "If this moment helps make it easier for others to take care of themselves when they need to, that matters.
"I'm proud of this team and I look forward to what's ahead."
NHL.com independent correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report
