Hedman TBL 4NF bug

Victor Hedman has been a big part of Sweden’s teams in previous international competitions. But for the Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman, being named captain for Team Sweden for the 4 Nations Face-Off is quite a special honor.

“That’s obviously surreal,” the 34-year-old said on Thursday. “Think last time I wore the ‘C’ for the Three Crowns was Under 18 (when Sweden won bronze at the IIHF World U18 Championships) so to get the opportunity to do it at this level, obviously a different format but the first best-on-best that we’ve had since 2016 (World Cup of Hockey), it’s going to be a tremendous honor.

“Every time you get to wear any sort of letter for a team [it’s great] but for your nation to get to wear the ‘C’ it’s a dream come true. I’m super excited and hopefully it’s not the last time I get to do it.”

This is the first time Hedman will captain Sweden in international play since he joined the NHL. He was an assistant captain for Sweden at the 2024 IIHF World Championships, where they won bronze.

Hedman is in his first season as Lightning captain.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is an international tournament featuring teams made up of only NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.

The teams will play each other once in a round-robin format starting on Feb. 12 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The final day of the round robin is Feb. 17 at TD Garden in Boston, with the two top teams advancing to the championship game on Feb. 20 in Boston.

Team Sweden will hold its first practice in Montreal on Feb. 10, one day after the Lightning play the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

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“You have to hit the ground running,” Hedman said. “We don't have a full summer and a whole training camp to get ready for it. There's a lot of guys that I haven't met before and I haven't been able to play with, so I'm going to try to get to know them as soon as I can and try and just be there for one another and make sure we hit the ground running.”

Sweden coach Sam Hallam said Hedman is captain for the way he conducts himself on and off the ice.

“He carries himself with so much pride and humbleness at the same time in everything he does,” he said. “Even if he’s out talking to you guys pregame, postgame, in the locker room or on the ice, I think everybody in the game has a ton of respect for him. Pretty obvious and simple choice for us.”

Indeed, Hedman’s his leadership with Tampa Bay has been evident for some time. He and former captain Steven Stamkos were cornerstones of the Lightning before Stamkos signed with the Nashville Predators on July 1.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020 and he’s been a six-time finalist (2016-22) for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman in the NHL. He won it in 2017-18.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson and Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will serve as alternate captains.

“With William Nylander I think he’s maybe the most spark we have. Many see William as an individual kind of player, offensively extremely talented and skilled,” Hallam said.

“My picture of him is he’s a really good guy and he cares a lot, and he cares a lot for the national team. Every chance he gets he wants to play for it and we want to show our appreciation and give him even more responsibility because I know he can handle it and he wants it.”

Hedman loves the opportunity to play with Karlsson on the international level again.

“We practiced a little bit in both [World] championships when he was the captain (in 2010 and 2024),” Hedman said of Karlsson. “For us to be on this ride together is always fun. Every time we get the opportunity to play together, we really embrace that.”

Hedman said he and his Swedish teammates began a group chat on Wednesday and they’ll talk when they can.

“You don't want to bother guys too much either, because everyone is so busy with games every single night in different time zones.”

Sweden is ready to compete on the international stage again, and Hedman is looking forward to leading it.

“I know how proud my family is about the three crowns. And my friends as well. That's all we knew pretty much growing up -- to be able to wear the 'C' for your country and represent them on a big stage is always fun."

NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen, staff writer Derek Van Diest and independent correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report.

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