Lightning captain Victor Hedman reveals he missed end of season to focus on mental health

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced in March that captain Victor Hedman would be taking a temporary leave of absence, which wound up extending to the end of their season. Hedman revealed why on Tuesday.

Hedman said he made the tough decision to “focus on my mental health,” but he’s in a “much better place today.” He missed the Lightning’s final 15 games of the regular season and the entirety of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Lightning released the statement on Tuesday, two days after they lost 2-1 in Game 7 of their first-round series to the Montreal Canadiens. He had rejoined the team for practice during the playoffs, but did not see any ice time in the series loss.

From the statement:

“Wearing this 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.

I’ve always believed that being a leader means doing what’s best for the team. 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 Lightning captain has spent his entire career in Tampa Bay. The franchise drafted him second overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, leading to the defenseman playing in 74 games as a rookie. Hedman has been with the Lightning for 17 years, serving as Captain for the last two seasons after Steven Stamkos left in free agency for the Nashville Predators. He helped Tampa Bay win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.