from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

In many ways, the NHL’s attack of the Swedish defencemen mirrors a phenomenon that unfolded in Quebec in the 1990s, when a generation of young goaltenders all wanted to emulate Patrick Roy and follow in his footsteps.

Much the same thing happened in Sweden, thanks to the exceptional Nicklas Lidstrom, who became the defining defensive player of his era playing for the Detroit Red Wings and internationally for the Tre Kronor.

The net effect of having a role model such as Lidstrom can be seen in today’s National Hockey League, where so many of the league’s top young defencemen hail from Sweden.

There is Erik Karlsson in Ottawa, Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Arizona, Hampus Lindholm in Anaheim and here, in the Stanley Cup final, the massive, unmovable force that is Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Hedman has played himself into the Conn Smythe Trophy MVP conversation with a superb playoff.

He has been as pivotal to Tampa’s playoff run as Duncan Keith has been to Chicago’s – a force offensively and defensively – and nowhere were his contributions more evident than in Monday’s 3-2 win over the Hawks, when two smart plays by Hedman set up the first and third Lightning goals.

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