SUNRISE, FL – Victor Hedman congratulates goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning … More
Victor Hedman had the captain’s ‘C’ sown on his jersey prior to the preseason. Not that serving as a leader, visually or otherwise, was anything new. After all, the towering Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman had been a pillar in the room for the first 15 years of a career that will see the two-time Stanley Cup winner enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Though Hedman’s first season as captain, a role he took on after Steven Stamkos left the club via free agency, concluded with an opening-round playoff defeat to the Florida Panthers for the second straight spring, Tampa Bay was unwavering in its commitment to the lightning bolt on the front of each player’s jersey. The examples established by No. 77 were a large reason why.
“This group picked each other up all of the time, and Victor was a big part of that, especially in his first year as captain and taking over for an icon here,” said coach Jon Cooper, during an end-of-season media session at Amalie Arena on May 2. “His leadership and Ryan (McDonagh), (Nikita) Kucherov and (Brandon) Hagel, you go down the line of guys that were inclusive as a team. There weren’t cliques or any of the stuff that went on that I have seen in years past. That was not this group. That is why we had the season we did, and I cannot say enough great things about the guys.”
Hedman, in a boot after breaking his right foot in Game 4, noted how the team’s level of commitment was never in question even after a busy off-season.
“A lot happened last summer and we knew it was going to be a collective effort to replace Stammer and his voice,” said Hedman, who also captained Team Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off. “I think the guys did a phenomenal job all year. The buy-in was 110 percent, which made the job easier for me. Guys stepping it up and being more of a leader themselves.”
Which is why the sting from this year’s early exit was particularly harsh.
“Everybody dialed in, bought into the system and tried hard,” said Nikita Kucherov, both a Hart Trophy finalist – winner will be announced June 27 – and the league’s leading scorer (121 points) for a second straight season. “We did everything we could and we just came up short. We want to make sure we come back stronger, more experienced and eliminate the mistakes we made this year, learn from that and move forward.”
One of the guys who will make sure that happens, given he is re-signed, is Ryan McDonagh. The defenseman, reacquired last summer in a trade with Nashville, won the Cup twice during a previous four-plus season Tampa tenure. He returned to a team that retained a set of core values and a winning culture even as a handful of nameplates changed out.
“For our group, we had the buy-in mentality and great attitude of showing up, coming to work every day, accepting your role and doing whatever you can to help the team win,” said McDonagh, the Lightning’s Masterton nominee. “It is up to us as leaders to keep that same culture, that same mentality because that gives you a chance every year.”
Such an unwavering culture, such an unwavering attitude is a way of life at 401 Channelside Drive in downtown Tampa.
“That makes it easier when new guys come to the team,” said McDonagh. “They feel part of the group. They feel valued. There are no egos in this group. We care about winning and it hurts a ton when we lose.”
Whether it is chasing individual statistics or whatever it is that may not be in the best interests of the collective, egos can get in the way and a season can go sideways quickly. Not the 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning. Far from it.
“Those can be distractions,” said Cooper, of chasing awards and milestones. “But for this group, it was all about the team. They looked after themselves, and that’s what was great about the group.”
