Has it been that long?
October 3rd, 2009 was the day that Victor Hedman made his NHL debut. Rick Tocchet was the coach, Mike Smith was in net, Vinny Lecavalier was still a Bolt. Heck, if you want to feel really old, the game was against the Atlanta Thrashers. The Lightning lost 6-3, but an 18-year-old Hedman played 26:27, including 3:37 on the penalty kill, and assisted on the first Tampa Bay goal of the season, which was scored by Marty St. Louis.
A seasoned, second-year Steven Stamkos also had an assist, while Hedman’s future coach, Jeff Halpern played 13:39.