TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor walked into the Tampa Police Department headquarters Tuesday afternoon and gave Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman a big hug.

“Good to see you, captain,” Castor said.

Hedman may have been named the Lightning’s new captain just last month, but his impact in Tampa Bay is nothing new — both on the ice as he enters his 16th NHL season, as well as in his adopted community.

“Victor’s always been a leader,” Castor said. “Now, he just has that ‘C’ on his jersey.”

Hedman and five of his Lightning teammates visited TPD on Tuesday, one day after Hedman and his wife, Sanna, pledged to donate $150,000 to hurricane relief and recovery efforts. The funds were to be split between the Tampa Police Benevolent Association and the Coast Guard Foundation.

“I don’t think it just comes down to the donations and whatnot,” Hedman said. “It’s just, you know, trying to be a good citizen. And I’ve learned a lot throughout my years here. I’ve been here for 15 years and pretty much grew up here. So, I love this lifestyle and I know what it means for people to call this home.

“I think it’s just good to give back to our community for what they’ve done to me and my family. We are happy to call this home, and we’ll call this home for many, many more years. It’s just a phenomenal feeling to be out here (Tuesday) and hopefully next time it can be under other circumstances.”

Hedman’s donation to the TPD Benevolent Association will help 11 officers whose homes were damaged by Helene while they were on duty as first responders. Two of the officers were present Tuesday and able to meet Hedman; the other nine were still cleaning up their homes.

“To meet some of the people affected by the storm, that’s very, very humbling,” Hedman said. “It’s just grounding for us to see our community, how tight-knit it is and how people come together during these circumstances. But I think overall, as people in this community, we’re very, very tight knit, and that makes this a very great place to live.”

Hedman marveled at how the first responders were able to set aside their personal lives and individual needs to help others impacted by the hurricane.

And for them to come back and see the devastation that they have had occur for themselves, it’s just heartbreaking,” he said. “They put their lives on the line. So, that’s like a no-brainer for us to pledge to both the Tampa PD and the Coast Guard for what they do in our community, not just throughout the hurricane, but what they do on a daily basis to try and keep us safe.”

Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said he put checks into the hands of the affected officers on Monday and Tuesday.

“Many of them were in tears and so grateful,” Bercaw said. “... Just talking to them, they’re just overwhelmed with the support. And it’s just great that our community and our championship Lightning team is there for us when we need them there, and the whole community, everybody’s coming in and out and on board.”

Hedman also visited the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater, as around 30 players participated in various events throughout the area as part of the Lightning’s Community Kickoff Day.

Ryan McDonagh was among those who stopped by Tampa Fire Rescue, and Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov played ball hockey with kids at the South Tampa Family YMCA. Jake Guentzel visited AdventHealth Tampa Hospital in the University Area. Others stopped by the LaVoy Exceptional Center in West Tampa.

____

©2024 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.