MILAN– Victor Hedman has done it all in the NHL.
The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman has won the Stanley Cup twice (2020, 2021), the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP (2020) and the Norris Trophy for best defenseman in the NHL (2017-18).
He has 807 points (171 goals, 636 assists) in 1,152 games. He has been captain of the Lightning since the start of last season.
Since joining the NHL at the start of the 2009–10 season, Hedman has the third-most points among NHL defensemen, behind Erik Karlsson (905) and Brent Burns (819). He is fourth among defensemen behind Burns (1,226), Ryan Sutter (1,215) and Drew Doughty (1,174).
But something was missing from his resume until this week.
Hard as it may be to believe, the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be the first time the 35-year-old will play for the Swedish team on the world’s biggest stage.
Surprisingly, he was cut from the 2014 team that won silver in Sochi, Russia, and NHL players did not participate in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games.
Hedman represented Sweden at the 2016 Hockey World Cup and last season’s 4-Nations Showdown, but never at the Olympics.
“The fact that we’re back here on the biggest stage, it’s a dream come true,” Hedman said Monday. “It’s kind of the last thing that I didn’t really get to enjoy as a hockey player, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity, and I’m trying to soak in the whole experience, and I’m getting ready to, you know, take it game by game, and let’s focus on winning now.”
Sweden practiced again on Tuesday and is scheduled to hold a morning skate before its first match against host Italy on Wednesday at Santagiulia Arena (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, SN, TSN, CBC).
“It’s been a great experience so far,” Hedman said. “We’ve only been here a little over 24 hours. But you know, I’ve just moved into the Olympic Village and, you know, I have a few practices and then I’m trying to adjust to the time change. And let’s go from there.”
