Hedman closing in on history for Lightning entering Game 4 of Cup Final

Victor Hedman is closing in on the NHL record for goals by a defenseman in a single postseason, and the man he is chasing is rooting for him to break it.

"I hope he does it," said Paul Coffey, a Hall of Famer who scored 12 goals for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1985 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But Coffey is far from the only person who has taken notice of Hedman of late. He has been drawing raves from Tampa Bay Lightning teammates, opponents and Hall of Famers for reaching a new level this postseason.
"He's grown into the beast he is now and a guy we heavily rely on," Lightning forward Tyler Johnson said. "I'm thankful he's on our team."
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Hedman is a major reason Tampa Bay has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final against the Dallas Stars heading into Game 4 on Friday (8 p.m. ET: NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS) in Edmonton, the hub city for the Cup Final.
His impact was felt in the Lightning's 5-2 victory in Game 3 on Wednesday, when he scored the game-winning goal 54 seconds into the second period. It was his 10th goal of the postseason, pulling him within two of Coffey and one behind Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, who scored 11 with the New York Rangers in 1994.
Such individual records are secondary to Hedman, as are awards like the Norris Trophy, which he won in 2018 when voted the NHL's best defenseman.
Even though it was announced Monday that Norris finalists Hedman and John Carlson of the Washington Capitals had been beaten out for the award this season by Roman Josi, the Nashville Predators defenseman couldn't stop gushing about him.
"[Hedman's] been nominated (as a finalist) the last four years and he's one of those guys who could win it every year," Josi said. "Watch him in the playoffs right now. He's unbelievable."
To Hedman, only one accomplishment matters: winning the Stanley Cup, which he is trying to do for the first time.
"We're not here for our personal stats," Hedman said. "We're here for one thing and that's winning the Stanley Cup, so when I get the puck on my stick, [I] make a pass or shoot for the goal. But [I'm] obviously happy with the way things have been going. But 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."

Hedman made those comments at a podium alongside captain Steven Stamkos and forward Nikita Kucherov after Game 3. It was somewhat fitting that he was sitting in the middle because he'd been the Lightning's unofficial front-and-center spokesman and leader in the absence of Stamkos, who played Wednesday for the first time since Feb. 25 because of a lower-body injury.
Coach Jon Cooper said Hedman carried the Lightning on his back in 2015 when he scored 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) in 26 games during Tampa Bay's run to the Cup Final, where it lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. According to Cooper, Hedman's influence has spread into the dressing room in the past five years, a sign of how much he's grown.
"He's well-rounded in every aspect," Cooper said. "But it's that off-ice [role] and that leadership that's coming to the forefront now than it did in 2015."
In the process, Hedman has become a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs. He has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) this postseason, tied with New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey for sixth in the NHL; tied with four players for third in game-winning goals (three); and first in ice time per game (26:00) among players who got as far as the second round.
"Off the ice, he's kind and a humble guy, and on the ice he's a beast," Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said. "[It's] just fun to watch him play and learn from him."
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It looked to many as if Hedman's postseason was going to end before it really got going.
Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was among those who figured Hedman might be out long term when he injured his right ankle during a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the round-robin portion of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers on Aug. 8. Hedman showed his frustration by smashing his stick as he hobbled to the dressing room.
"He could have been out for the playoffs," Lidstrom said. "His ankle buckled on him. But it shows how strong of a man he is too. To withstand that injury and to come back and play in the next game, it didn't look like it fazed him at all.
"That's been very impressive."
Three days after being injured, Hedman returned and played as if the ankle was an afterthought in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round. He had an assist, nine shots and played 57:38 in Tampa Bay's 3-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fifth overtime.
As a part-time analyst with Viasat, the Swedish television network covering the playoffs, Lidstrom, a seven-time Norris Trophy winner with the Detroit Red Wings, has at times had a front-row seat two watch Hedman. Lidstrom held the NHL record for most playoff goals by a Sweden-born defenseman in a single postseason (six in 1998) until Hedman broke it this month.
"You want to be the guy that's relied upon by the coaching staff who plays a lot of minutes, plays in different situations," Lidstrom said. "He's out there both on the [penalty kill] and the power play, he plays against the other team's top lines. I think he thrives on it too.
"In those situations, you're kind of in the zone. When you're playing a lot you feel like you can play almost every other shift, which he's been doing. You just feel more and more comfortable when you're in a zone like that. You know that you're going to be out there again. You know when to be active, when to make the correct decisions, when to join the rush when you are playing a lot. He looks like he's been playing better and better the more minutes he's been given.
"He had a bit of a longer runway when he first came into the League, but he's just gotten better and better the past seven or eight years."

Lidstrom first met Hedman during the 2009 Cup Final between the Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins when the top 2009 NHL Draft prospects attended a game in Pittsburgh. Three weeks later, Hedman was selected No. 2 by the Lightning, who had done plenty of homework on the lanky Swedish defenseman, who is now 6-foot-6, 229 pounds.
"We did so much psychological testing back then, and there were so many impressive things about him," said NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton, who was the Lightning general manager at the time. "His background was so strong.
"We were lucky to have guys like [Hedman] and Stamkos. Not only are they great players but great people. They both have that kind of cache about them, about having respect, about having no egos."
That doesn't mean there weren't growing pains along the way.
Rick Tocchet, now coach of the Arizona Coyotes, was Hedman's coach with Tampa Bay for his rookie season of 2009-10. Hedman had 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 74 games, and the Lightning missed the playoffs.
"He was a quiet kid but had a personality," Tocchet said. "Maybe because it was his first year in the NHL and our team wasn't that good, so maybe that stunted him a little bit. It wasn't fair for everyone to put pressure on him. But the kid just kept chipping away at his game.
"But if you get to know the guy and you look at him now, he's a great leader. You watch him on the ice, sometimes he's mad, sometimes he's smiling, sometimes he's joking with his teammates."
It's been an 11-year journey that has Hedman exhibiting some of the traits of past greats like Lidstrom, Tocchet said.
"To start off with, it's not even the talent. It's his aerobic capacity," Tocchet said. "Like Lidstrom and all the greats, like them, he can play big minutes and he lets the game come to him. Back then he tried to rush things. And then what happens, you get tired because you're rushing things.
"Now, if you watch, he's very calculated like the Lidstroms and the Raymond Bourques. He kind of leads the rush when it's there, and sometimes he just plays defense because it's not the right time to do things. So for me, the hockey IQ is just outstanding. And the way he conserves his energy is too."
He's also shown an ability to rally those around him in the absence of Stamkos.
"You can see that he's inspiring his teammates," Tocchet said. "I've seen it firsthand. The great players on your team have to inspire their teammates, not just with stats but by keeping everyone involved. When your best player is also the one who is inspiring you, you tell yourself, 'Man, this guy's got my back.' He even makes the fourth-line guys feel confident because they know 'Hey man, we've got Victor Hedman back there. This guy's going to make the right play, and we all might be involved.'"
Lidstrom couldn't agree more.
"He looks like a workhorse," Lidstrom said. "The more he plays the better he plays. I've been very impressed by his play and his leadership so far."
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It would be understandable if Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara held a grudge against Hedman.
After all, it was Hedman who ended the Bruins season in Game 5 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round by scoring with 5:50 remaining in the second overtime for a 3-2 victory.
But for Chara, there is no bitterness, only admiration. The veteran defenseman said Hedman's goal is symbolic of how he has become a difference-maker for the Lightning.
"He's pretty much grown into what you see now: a complete package and a presence at all times, every shift," Chara said. "I think that's just what you're noticing now is that he's taking charge.
"To me what he's becoming that is very noticeable is that during the breaking point of the game he's making really decisive defensive plays or he's taking charge offensively. You can tell, he's climbing up the historic ladder of playoff goals and mentioned with the likes of Ray [Bourque], Paul Coffey, those guys. I think his ability to defend as well. And he's embracing playing as much as he can. I've been in those shoes where the more I play the better I feel.
"I can say now at this point of his career that he's controlling the game when he's out there. He's a presence on every shift."
It's a trend Cooper said he is confident can continue. With the Lightning two wins away from a Stanley Cup championship, he has reason to feel that way.
"When you are blessed with strength, speed, size, skill and stamina like he is, it's unreal that he's on your side," Cooper said.
"We're lucky to be watching one of the best not only of this era, but of any era."