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Almost since the day the Tampa Bay Lightning selected Victor Hedman with the second overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, detractors lined up.
Not physical enough. Can’t defend his own net well enough. Doesn’t provide offense. Won’t develop in to a true No. 1 defenseman.
By his second year, many naysayers declared the 6-foot-6 Swede to be a complete bust and a waste of a pick. Even as recently as this playoff season, one fan in particular decided it was time to reach out to me and essentially call Hedman a piece of (not appropriate for a family website) player.
Can’t imagine what that particular fan was watching, because it wasn’t Hedman once again taking his game to an intoxicating level of play to help Tampa Bay reach the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive season and third time in the past six years.
Quite frankly, Hedman is a monster on the ice. Almost like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona, unassuming off the ice, but fierce and demonstrative on the ice. An ultra competitor who wants nothing more than to help his team win, not just games, but championships.
In the second round against the Islanders, Hedman took control of the series in both ends of the ice. Matched up almost exclusively against John Tavares – who carried New York in to the second round with a brilliant first-round showing against Florida – Hedman not only helped limit Tavares to one goal in the series, Tavares was held off the score sheet for the final four games of the series.
Hedman, meanwhile, went on to score four goals and eight points in the five-game series victory, including a pair of goals in the deciding game becoming the first defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom in 2010 to score at least two goals in a series-clinching victory. The eight points also set a Lightning franchise record for points in a series, and he did it in just five games.
Anton Stralman, who has missed the playoffs to this point due to a fractured fibula suffered on March 25, has been a frequent defensive partner alongside Hedman since joining Tampa Bay prior to the 2014-15 season. But for the postseason to this point, Stralman has seen Hedman from a different perspective, and is just as impressed watching him play as his playing as his partner.
“I mean, do I really have to say more about him? Don’t you guys talk about him enough? I mean, seriously,’’ Stralman joked before getting serious. “He’s been, especially the last series, he was probably our best player, just dominating all over the ice. … He’s one of the elite defensemen in the league and I think everybody saw that in the Islanders series, how well he played and how big of a part he played in all those games. Just the point production he put up as a Dman, that’s pretty impressive. He’s one of those guys that really stepped up and got us through that Islanders series.’’
To get back to the Stanley Cup Final once again, Hedman is going to be to be even better.
Though there is a chance Stralman could be ready to return – he practiced with the team for the first time on Wednesday and has been cleared for contact – Hedman will be counted on to try and slow down a deep Penguins attack. Pittsburgh reached the conference final despite getting just one combined goal from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the six-game series victory against Washington.
But Hedman is up for the challenge in front of him and his teammates, now armed with the recent experience of understanding the task in front of them.
“Last year was obviously a good experience for me and the team and now you know what to expect come playoff time,’’ Hedman said. “For me, you want to be at your best when it comes to the playoffs, I go in to every game wanting to be at my best and help this team win. The whole team’s effort has just been unreal. We battle for each other and that’s paying off right now.’’
And it’s paying off for Hedman, who uses his fluent skating style to make an impact at both ends of the ice on almost a nightly basis, particularly the past two playoff seasons.
“He’s a big guy that can move really well,’’ goaltender Ben Bishop said. “He’s impressive to watch. You see the way he skates for how big he is. He covers a lot of ground offensive and defensively. It’s nice to have him on your team.’’
Sound like Hedman’s teammates view him much differently than those detractors who still view the big Swede with murky colored glasses.
Follow Erik on Twitter at @Erik_Erlendsson
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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