Victor Hedman | Press Conference 7.2.24

Victor Hedman | Press Conference 7.2.24

joining joining us uh Victor congrats uh we’ll kick things off here with a with an opening statement from Victor and then open it up to questions if you do have a question for Victor please use the raise your hand function uh and wait to be called upon at this time we’ll turn it over to Victor for some opening remarks thanks brezer uh obviously I know this uh Zoom uh press conference is about the extension but first and foremost obviously I want to obviously Circle back to you know the events yesterday and obviously losing uh you know a guy that has been my best friend for the past 15 years um you know seeing stammer go was not something that uh anyone expected and um you know the same goes for me and you know me and stammer has had obviously a lot of uh conversations throughout the last few weeks and uh you know I kind of been what’s been said is obviously going to stay between us but um you know it’s it’s a sad sad day not just for me but for the you know the fans the organization the city of Tampa you know for what he’s done and uh it’s going to be hard to imagine you know going into to our locker room and going into you know Emily Arena and not seeing him on the eyes uh it’s going to be super super weird but uh you know at the end of the day hockey is uh is a business and uh this is what has come to and uh for us it’s just uh about uh looking forward and uh on that note you know I’m obviously super super super excited to uh you know announce my extension today and uh you know I love the organization I love the city I love the fans and uh I love playing and wearing that uh lightning uh obviously that lightning on my on my chest and uh I’m super excited to do that for another four years and uh hopefully uh when it’s all said and done to retire as a bold but uh first and foremost obviously try and do whatever I can to be at my best and and help the team uh win another Stanley Cup this time we’ll go to questions uh first we’ll go to and Cena from the Tampa Bay Times hi Victor thanks for doing this and congratulations on the extension um you know I know you you you talked about you know several weeks ago about how you and Stephen this was all you knew was was being in in Tampa Bay you know how have the past you know how has it been maybe a roller coaster for you wrapping your head around the idea of you know your future here along with you know the possibility of it not being with like you said you’re your best friend for the past 15 years yeah it’s been you know you’ve been around a long time and you know it’s a roller coaster of emotions um obviously super sad to to see your best friend leave and you know go play somewhere else but uh you know like I said earlier too we’ve been in constant contact throughout the whole process and uh kind of know where it was leading but uh we always going to have each other and um you know though we’re going to be on different teams we’re still going to be in contact and you know at the end of the day we best case scenario yeah we would have loved to you know finish our careers in Tamp and together but uh like I said it’s uh you know this hockey is a business at the end of the day and you know I strongly you know you know ad you know admire what Stam has done for for not just me but uh the whole city and and the organization and you know being big part in winning St two stand the cups and you know having all the records that he have and you know obviously go down as uh one of the best ever played the game and you know it’s uh yeah it’s it’s it’s a sad sad day yesterday and uh you know we just got to look forward but uh emotions are are still there and um you know like I said it’s going to take a while to to to get acclimated to to not having him around next to go to Evan KY from WTSP hey Victor uh I you know I know Stam Coast has has obviously dominated the headlines the past 24 hours but also um you know Mel sergachev will be in Utah just uh what does it mean what is he meant to you is as he’s kind of grown up in his lightning organization and what does it mean now is that that Blue Line’s going to look a little bit different and uh and obviously you and and Ryan are going to be the the main stage back there yeah you know that kind of got lost with everything yesterday but Sergey obviously instrumental part in uh in our success and you know seven years feel like it’s flown by you know he’s still a young player and all the things that he has accomplished so far is just remarkable so uh you know it’s it’s another guy that you know I grown close to and uh you know it’s uh it’s super sad to see him leave you know I’m excited for him to uh hopefully go to play to be the number one guy and uh and uh yeah try and U go on there and and and prove uh how really good he is and you know he’s proven that year and year out with us but uh maybe get you know all that uh you know the power play time and you know feeling like he’s the number one guy I’m super excited for him to to to have that opportunity and uh you know it’s not for for nothing you know we try to teach him whatever we could uh you know throughout his his years in Tampa and you know I know he learned a lot not just from me but from from other guys as well you know me Mack and him uh were on the left side for a long time and we had a lot of success so uh would we you know love to keep him absolutely but it goes back to what I said earlier about uh you know the business side of hockey Scott Smith Fox 13 thanks Victor uh just going back to the decision uh for Stam Coast had you been uh like a sounding board for him throughout this uh I mean how how involved were you in terms of just being uh with him in conversations kind of helping guide him through this step well like I said earlier too what we said between us uh when it comes to contract negotiations it’s going to to stay between me and him but um you know we’re first and foremost uh you know before we teamers were great friends and always going to be so uh I was more there for him as a friend than than a teammate and uh you know a sounding Bo fan in negotiations so uh yeah I’m going to leave it at that next we’ll go to Chris Johnson from the athletic hi Victor I’m wondering you know what what made stepen such a great teammate why were you so close what do you what were you most fond of with him and in your time spent together in Tampa I don’t know how long we have but uh you know first and foremost has the down to earth guy uh obviously on the ice speak for itself but uh yes off the ice made sure that everyone felt uh you know welcome to the team you know just being uh always thinking about other people in front of himself and you know obviously for me coming over he already had a year in the league so kind of took me under his wing early on even though we’re the same age but uh you know for me coming over from Sweden was a was a tough step but he was one of those guys that really stepped up and helped me acclimate to to life in the US and uh yeah but uh just uh yeah just a tremendous guy and you know we always had you know so much fun together you know on the ice off the ice you know playing golf whatever uh very competitive you know uh when it came to golf or playing cards or whatnot but uh yeah stuff like that you’re really going to miss uh you know not having him around for that during the party season but uh you know but uh back to your question what made him so good as a person um you know everything he’s uh it’s just been a tremendous tremendous role model for so many players uh that come through and still are uh with the lightning so uh yeah just uh just everything just uh Mr Perfect next we go to Dylan Collins from the hockey news hi Victor obviously it’s quite early but if the opportunity Rose would you be receptive to the captaincy yeah you answer your own question with the first uh first uh part of your questions so yeah that’s uh that’s way too soon and I think you know for me um yeah I mean just uh I don’t know what to say to that you know I look at myself as a leader and uh you know I’ve been an ultimate Captain for for many many years uh behind the best captain in the game so uh you know we’ll see where where very goes in the future but uh yeah it’s not it’s been close to 24 hours since uh you know star left so I think it would be disrespectful to him and not fair to anyone to to comment on that ad in Cena Tampa Bay Times Victor obviously I know you’ve talked a lot about the value what it means to you to be able to play your entire career in Tampa and um you know for you to be able to have that opportunity now and knowing that that is a rare as as we know even more rare now opportunity to have um what what does that mean to you that in this organization a lot of guys haven’t had that chance and obviously Stephen being the latest one but what does that mean to you um especially within your kins kinship towards this organization and and the fan base here that that that you can be that that that guy no it means the world to me uh obviously I do I don’t know anything else uh you know the first question you had you know we’ve been there since we were 18 years old and you know for me I don’t know anything else and I I don’t want to know anything else so uh you know Tampa has become a home for us you know me and my wife we have our two boys born at Tampa and uh obviously you know have Roots there that uh goes a long way you know I’ve been almost their whole half my life and uh yeah I’m just super proud and you know excited to hopefully you know retire bold but uh you know first and foremost I’m excited about the opportunity to to try and win another cup and uh you know we’re uh super fortunate to to be in a situation where you know we have um you know still a really really good team and uh yeah we’re just going to do whatever we can and I’m going to do whatever I can to to uh be as good as I can every single night to to help bring another cup back to Tampa looks like we have one more question that’s from Evan KY WTSP and Victor and besides the fact whether you’re wearing a SE you’re not wearing a SE whatever just as far as uh you know Stephen not being in a locker room anymore is that is there that realization that you have to maybe step up a little bit more as far as that leadership role within the locker room once it comes down to training camp of hey I gotta you know I got to fulfill this role now that that Stephen has done for for so long with this organization and and I know you’ve done it too uh you know along your way but you know now now you are kind of the front man in it yeah I mean I don’t look at it that way there’s a lot of uh I think it’s going to have to be a group effort obviously for me I have to step up but I think it’s going to have to be a group effort um like I said we’ve been fortunate to have Stam as a captain for for a very long time and you know leading the way and um taking a lot of a lot of uh you know taking a lot of heat and obviously you having to do a lot of media and uh when things aren’t going well and and stuff like that and uh you know for us it’s all about uh it’s got to be have to be a group effort and uh obviously starts with me I have to take another step in my abilities and my leadership abilities but uh yeah it’s going to be it’s going to be have to be a group effort and I think guys will uh will step up and uh like you said it’s going to be a realization that Stam is not going to be there the first few days training camp and then uh we just have to get settled in and uh try to do do whatever we can to to to make it uh as tight group as we can and yeah just go from there and but uh like I said it’s going to obviously be you know it’s so fresh and so you know emotional right now that you can’t really imagine it right now but you know there’s going to be a realization that be ready Toad the ship and group together thank you thanks we have no further questions at this time thank you Victor for taking your time and thank you everyone for joining us recording stop

Defenseman Victor Hedman speaks to the media after signing a four-year contract extension with the Lightning.

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