Hedman, Vasilevskiy, Stamkos savor All-Star Weekend memories

LAS VEGAS -- Victor Hedman won the EA Sports NHL Hardest Shot. Andrei Vasilevskiy was part of the winning goalie tandem in the Dunkin' NHL Save Streak. And Steven Stamkos' 2-year-old son Carter got to see two Zambonis.

So even though the three Tampa Bay Lightning players were on the losing side with the Atlantic Division in an 8-5 loss to the Central Division in the second semifinal of the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, they'll head home with cherished memories from the weekend.
"It was great to share it with these guys, to share it with him," Stamkos said of his son. "But it was just about sharing it with this guy for me, so that was really fun."
Stamkos, who scored for the Atlantic Division, tried having Carter sit on his lap during his postgame news conference, but Carter had a one-track mind, asking repeatedly, "I want to see the Zamboni, please."
"He likes the Zamboni," Stamkos said.
Carter eventually got his wish when a member of the Lightning media relations staff volunteered take him to see the Zamboni and happily reported back later, "I saw two Zambonis."

Although Hedman didn't bring his 15-month-old son Rio, the defenseman's parents came from Sweden to see him play in an NHL All-Star Game for the first time.
"It was a lot of fun this weekend," Hedman said. "It's all about creating memories. For 'Stammer' to bring Carter, my guy is a little too young, but at the end of the day, it's just for the fans and the families."
The Lightning welcomed the break from the grind of the regular season before gearing up to make a run at winning the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive season. Tampa Bay (30-10-6) is second in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the Florida Panthers and five points ahead of the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Lightning begin a three-game road trip with Thursday at the Colorado Avalanche and Friday at the Arizona Coyotes. After playing at the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 15, they will have a seven-day break before a home game against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 23. They will play the Nashville Predators in the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Feb. 26.
"We've played a lot of hockey, that's for sure," Hedman said. "I think this break has been very welcome for our team. We've got another little break after these three games and an outdoor game to look forward to, so we're super excited. We love the setup of our team and we're looking forward to making another run."
The Lightning are trying to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four straight championships from 1980-83.
"Obviously, that's our goal every season," Vasilevskiy said. "We had fun here, now we'll fly back home and we'll put our mind in game mode, and it's only hard work ahead of us."
Vasilevskiy enjoyed the stress-free weekend and said teaming with Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell in winning the Save Streak during the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook on Friday was one of the highlights.
"But obviously just to share that moment with all the fans, with my teammates, it was amazing," Vasilevskiy said. "Just an amazing experience overall. Great city, great fans, so thanks Vegas. … A great place to have an All-Star [Game]."