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With nearly 28 minutes of ice time on average in the NHL playoffs and more than 20 points scored, Hedman has been a giant on the newly crowned champion Tampa Bay Lightning team.
He is acclaimed throughout the hockey world and his teammate Tyler Johnson has described the Swede as follows:
– He has become a monster and is a guy we trust a lot. I’m thankful he’s on our team, he tells nhl.com.
It was understood that it was something extra. But to becoming an army driver in the NHL, there is another level.
It is at home in Örnsköldsvik that The foundation is laid for a long and successful season for Hedman.
At Friskis & Svettis or at the Skyttis IP athletic facility, the hardworking couple Jonsson and Hedman are regularly seen five days a week, from early June to late August.
Hans Jonsson is an icon in Modo and did four NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, with the 2001 semifinals being the highlight.
Victor Hedman made his debut at age 16 in Modo 2007.
– I played with Victor for two seasons. He came out of the closet when he was very young and you understood that it was something extra. But to becoming an army driver in the NHL, there is another level, says Hans Jonsson.
– When we started the collaboration with fitness training, he said he wanted to be the best. There are many who say that, but Víctor is credible because he has worked a lot. We had the most development in the first three years, but his fitness level has increased every year.
Hedman during summer training in Örnsköldsvik 2018.
Photo: Erik Simander / TT
Together with Joakim Dettner At STAC, Scandinavian Top Athletic Center, Hans Jonsson hosts a program for Hedman every summer.
The NHL star himself often has detailed wishes about what he wants to improve.
– Victor wants to start right after his season. We train as close to hockey as possible. It is important that it holds and does not break, and planning is that it should be at its best at the end of the season, says Hans Jonsson.
This summer was special because the season was interrupted this spring due to the corona pandemic. Hedman arrived earlier in Ö-vik and already in the height of summer moved back to Florida and Tampa.
After the final series against Dallas, despite the truncated season, there have been 91 games for the 29-year-old, who has remained injury free.
Because he’s so tough, he can do his long rush well into third period, which is quite unusual.
Hedman is 1.98 tall and therefore one of the oldest players in the league. The weight fluctuates between 103 and 105 kilos.
– Victor is very mobile for his height and size and can benefit from his reach. Because he is so tough, he can do his long rush well into third period, which is quite unusual. It can be crucial in a match, says Hans Jonsson.
– I think he has gone one step further this season in the sense that he produces points and has very good over / under statistics.
Although Victor Hedman is a giant on defense, it is primarily the scorer and the many assists that caused many to raise their eyebrows during the playoffs. The Tampa defender has increased his number of shots per game significantly this year, shooting more than 50 percent more often than previous seasons.
Before the sixth Stanley Cup final, Hedman scored ten goals and eleven assists. Only two defenders, Brian Leetch (11) and Paul Coffey (12), have scored more goals in playoff history.
In 2018, Hedman received the Norris Trophy as the best fullback in the NHL and this year he was nominated for the fourth year in a row.
He is now cited as a favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy, the league’s Most Valuable Player award. The only Swedes to have received this award are Nicklas Lidström (2002) and Henrik Zetterberg (2008).
Victor Hedman is He grew up in Domsjö, a few kilometers south of Örnsköldsvik. In 2001, when he was eleven years old, he saw the Stanley Cup dent that a certain Peter Forsberg had conquered with Colorado and brought home to Ö-vik.
Now it’s Victor Hedman who can prove it, unless the pandemic prevents the Dent from making his world tour to the players’ hometowns.
– It is clear that you are very proud as a resident of Övik for the successes of Victor, says Hans Jonsson.
