Lightning’s Victor Hedman discusses mental health: ‘It is OK not to be OK’

Victor Hedman took a personal leave late last season to focus on his mental health.

Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning star defenceman is speaking up about some of the strides he's made.

In an interview with NHL.com 's Dan Rosen, Hedman said he has been working regularly with his longtime therapist and is feeling "super motivated" heading into the season.

"A lot of great support," Hedman, 35, said. "I was super flattered by that."

Hedman's last game was on March 19, when he played just 4:44 against the Vancouver Canucks. He dealt with injuries earlier in the season, including one that kept him out of Sweden's Olympic quarterfinal loss against the U.S.

"For me, it was not really feeling low, but it was performance anxiety, kind of feeling that pressure in your chest as soon as a game day would hit," Hedman said. "It kind of locks you up. You make a mistake and in the past you'd be able to shake it off, but I couldn't do that. And I wasn't feeling 100 per cent physically."

Hedman did skate during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and said he likely would have returned if the Lightning had beaten the Montreal Canadiens.

Looking back, he is confident he made the right decision by stepping away.

"I felt it was important for me to do to get a handle on everything mentally and physically," Hedman said. "Someone told me that for good leaders, sometimes doing the right thing for the team is to kind of step away. I thought that was the right decision for me. I wasn't myself on the ice. I felt I wasn't helping the team. So, I felt the best thing for the team was for me to focus on myself away. I don't regret that decision at all. It was the right thing to do."

The former Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy winner is also happy he can talk about his challenges.

"The stigma, I think it's getting a lot better, but it's still probably there," he said. "At the same time, people go through this, and it's a lot more people than you think. It's good to be able to put it out there that it is OK not to be OK."