Tampa Bay fans are used to seeing their Swedish team’s captain wearing a cap that says “No Solo” in capital letters on the front. Even when Tre Kronor landed in Malpensa, just outside Milan, the 198 centimeter tall hill was wearing the headdress.
Hedman has been an ambassador for the initiative in Florida for several years, whose mission is to raise awareness of mental illness and encourage those struggling to have the courage to seek help and open up.
Where does your commitment come from?
– The thing about mental illness is that it’s a bit taboo. Especially in sports and especially for us men. I’m not talking about how you feel. I think it’s important to have the courage to be vulnerable because the mental is always more important than the physical. On the whole. If you’re feeling good mentally, the rest takes care of itself, he says.
Says Victor Hedman that he constantly talks to people who need support and that he doesn’t shy away from coming to the aid of other hockey players.
A few days before the New Year, Linus Ullmark, named the NHL’s best goaltender in 2023, took a month-long break from the Ottawa team after a difficult time.
On January 21st, he spoke out in an emotional television interview with the Canadian broadcaster TSN. This is intended to clarify the real reason for his absence, as rumors of an infidelity scandal in the club team are circulating on social media.
But also for ventilation, for its own sake.
– The rumors that spread about me and my family started the day after my break. And people wonder why hockey players and professional athletes don’t talk, why we don’t show emotions, why mental illness is stigmatized in both men and women, Ullmark said in the interview.
Then he began Talk about Victor Hedman – one of the people he says supported him the most.
– He contacted me and said he wanted me to call him.
– He really helped me sort out the things I’ve been through and am still going through. I love him very much and have gained even more respect for him.
It was “extremely difficult” for Hedman to find out about the goalkeeper’s situation. He emphasizes the importance of having the courage to be vulnerable, just like Ullmark.
– It’s not something you begrudge anyone, but it happens more often than you think. It was strong of him to give himself this break.
– Linus takes care of himself and I for one shouldn’t have a circle. I just try to support as many as possible. It’s good for me too to be able to talk about things like this.
During the NHL season Hedman is battling an elbow injury that required surgery in December. It wasn’t until the beginning of February that he made his comeback after an absence of almost two months.
– Now it feels very good. It was uncertain how it would feel after surgery, but my entire team there in Tampa was fantastic throughout the entire rehab process. I’ve been able to practically be on the ice for the last five weeks.
The last time an NHL player competed in the Olympics, in Sochi 2014, he was barred and barred from participating. In other words: An Olympic debut awaits the 35-year-old when hosts Italy await him on Wednesday evening at 9:10 p.m.
– Very inspiring and entertaining. Above all, they waited a very long time. “We’re looking forward to it,” says Victor Hedman.
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