TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman took a leave of absence at the end of the team’s regular season and during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to address his mental health, the player said in a statement released Tuesday.
“I’ve spent most of my life in this game, and nearly all of my career with this organization. Wearing this jersey — and serving as captain — is the greatest responsibility of my professional life,” Hedman said. “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.”
The 35-year-old Swedish defenseman hasn’t played with the team since mid-March, missing Tampa Bay’s final 22 games of the season, ESPN reported. This included the team’s first-round playoff loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
He also missed a chunk of games earlier in the season because of an elbow injury.
Hedman, who joined the Lightning in 2009, has spent his entire 17-year NHL career with the team.
He said that he’s had the support of his team, family and therapist, and is “in a much better place today.”
Hedman came forward with the explanation for his absence in hopes of leading by example when it comes to mental health.
“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,” he said, adding, “This is something that exists in our game more than people see. If this moment helps make it easier for others to take care of themselves when they need to, that matters.”
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