NHL superstar stepped aside - opened up about his struggles: "It paralyzed me"

Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Victor Hedman, 35, stepped away from his team’s activities last March for personal reasons. He did not play for the rest of the season after that.

The Swedish defenseman later revealed that his absence was due to mental health reasons. Now, Hedman shares more about it in an interview on the NHL website. He mentions that he suffered from performance pressure.

– It wasn’t really sadness, but performance pressure. A feeling of pressure in my chest as game day approached. It kind of paralyzed me. When I made a mistake before, I could forget it, but I couldn’t do that anymore. And I didn’t feel physically completely one hundred percent, Hedman describes.

Hedman was also sidelined last season due to injuries and played only 33 games throughout the season, with stats of 1+16. He also played in the February Olympics wearing the Swedish jersey.

Hedman says it was important to take a break from hockey.

– Someone told me that sometimes the right thing for a good leader to do for the team is to take a step back. I thought that was the right decision for me. I wasn’t myself on the ice. I felt like I wasn’t helping the team. So it felt like the best thing for the team was for me to focus on myself. I don’t regret that decision at all.

Now, Hedman says he is ready to return to action. Both physically and mentally.

– It’s about feeling healthy and that my body is in the condition I want it to be. When I’m on the ice and in the gym and feeling good, it obviously helps the mental side too, when you feel you can perform your job at full capacity.

– I’m sure it will take me a few games to get back into the rhythm since I haven’t played in a long time. But I am really energetic, hungry, and motivated to get on the ice and play my best hockey.

Hedman, serving as the captain of Tampa, has represented the team for 17 seasons. He has won two Stanley Cups and the Norris Trophy for the best defenseman once. Hedman’s contract, which guarantees an eight million dollar annual salary, runs through the summer of 2029.