Lightning captain Victor Hedman feels energized as he resumes his NHL career

NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Hedman is back playing hockey, and the Tampa Bay Lightning captain hopes the trying times he went through over the past 10 months will benefit him down the road.

Hedman on Thursday night is playing his first NHL game that counts since stepping away in March to address his mental health. The well-respected Swedish defenseman also missed time last season with an elbow injury and subsequent surgery.

“Last year was hopefully a blip on the radar,” Hedman said ahead of facing the New York Rangers in Tampa Bay's season opener. “When you play 33 games, it was a tough year in that regard. At the same time, maybe a blessing, too. Feeling excited and energized.”

Hedman, who is less than three months away from turning 36, shed significant weight since the spring. He starts his 18th season in the league at 228 pounds, 18 lighter than he played his 17th at 244 — a conscious effort to get lighter as he ages.

“As you get older, the less mass you have to move around, the faster you feel,” Hedman said. “I don’t think I lost any power or strength in that regard. I’m still quite heavy for this league, so boxing out and winning battles is not going to be any different. But hopefully I feel as light as I am today and just get moving on my skates.”

Jon Cooper immediately noticed Hedman looking different — “He was ripped,” more than usual. Hedman, who debuted in 2009 after getting drafted with the No. 2 pick, is the only Lightning player who predates Cooper, the longest tenured coach in the NHL.

“He’s been playing this entire time. I just get to stand there,” Cooper said. "It’s impressive when you look at the type of athletes that are coming through our game in the last decade, and he’s been able to still excel with them. But I think when you get older, you really have to start looking after yourself and he did that this offseason.”

Cooper won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, winger Nikita Kucherov the Hart Trophy as MVP and Andrei Vasilevskiy the Vezina as the top goaltender. But Hedman is such an important piece on the blue line that Tampa Bay in his absence went 8-6-2 down the stretch and lost a hard-luck first-round series to Montreal in seven games despite outshooting the Canadiens by 196-156.

Hedman taking his usual place makes the rest of the defensive puzzle fit together correctly, and his presence itself is a morale boost in the locker room.

“Just to see him being himself, his outgoing self, his energetic self, it means a lot to this group,” teammate Ryan McDonagh said. “Certainly looking forward to him having a great year again.”

Hedman in his prime won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in 2017-18 and led the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2020 and '21, including earning playoff MVP honors the first time. Back then, he was averaging upwards of 24 minutes a game.

The workload is smaller now, with J.J. Moser and Charle-Edouard D’Astous getting bigger roles. Signing fellow Cup champion John Carlson in free agency also takes pressure off Hedman, especially on the power play.

“When Heddy used to play all situations all the time, first over the boards, he’s not as much anymore,” Cooper said. “It doesn’t make him any less effective. But it does manage his minutes a little.”

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FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) skates with the puck during the second period against the Florida Panther in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman (77) skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

A medical helicopter transporting a patient crashed off Catalina Island near Los Angeles, killing two people and leaving two hospitalized, authorities said Thursday. Rescuers continued searching for a fifth person who was aboard the aircraft and went missing after the Wednesday night crash.

The Coast Guard, firefighters and divers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were among emergency personnel who searched through the night and into the afternoon.

The cause was not immediately clear. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy said the helicopter went down shortly after takeoff and hit the water a short distance from the island.

“We believe that the medical aircraft was transporting a person off the island for additional medical care on the mainland,” Crecy said.

Relatives of the missing person told ABC7 that the woman was being transported after having an allergic reaction. They also said her 20-year-old son went with her in the helicopter to help translate.

Sheriff Robert Luna said at an afternoon news conference that authorities were not yet identifying victims by name. But he described the two people that died as the male pilot and a female nurse. He also said another medic and a fourth person, a man, were hospitalized.

A memorial service was held on the island to honor the victims.

The crash came 11 days after a firefighting helicopter went down, killing two pilots in Yosemite National Park in California, and two weeks after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, killing two people.

First responders were called to the Catalina crash shortly before 8 p.m. and pulled four people from the water. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and two, in stable condition, were brought to hospitals on the mainland, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Firefighters on the island were able to get to the scene quickly by boat, Crecy said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating and identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter EC-135-P2. NTSB staff were expected to arrive on the scene later Thursday. The aircraft will be brought to a secure facility for evaluation, a board spokesperson said.

Authorities said the helicopter was submerged in 240 feet (about 70 meters) of water off Catalina, which is located about 22 miles (35 kilometers) off the mainland.

The helicopter landed on the island shortly after 7 p.m., following a 24-minute flight from an airport in Oceanside, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.

The helicopter was operated by REACH Air Medical Services of Sacramento.

“At this time, we are gathering information and coordinating with emergency responders and authorities,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones and colleagues affected by this tragedy. We are focused on supporting our team and everyone impacted during this incredibly difficult time.”

The company said it was unable to share additional details out of respect for the people involved and the ongoing emergency response.

FILE - A view of the harbor on Catalina Island in Avalon, Calif, Saturday, April 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)