Hedberg Takes Step Back in Time

PITTSBURGH — Facing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final has brought back fond memories for Johan Hedberg.

The San Jose Sharks assistant coach/goaltending coach broke into the NHL playing for the Penguins and became a bit of a cult hero in Pittsburgh in the spring of 2001 after being acquired in a trade with the Sharks. With Mario Lemieux, who came out of retirement earlier that season, and Jaromir Jagr playing in front of him, Hedberg helped spark the Penguins on a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Final before they were defeated by the New Jersey Devils.

“I love to come back to Pittsburgh,” Hedberg said. “It’s a fun town. It’s a great hockey town. When I look at it, I’ve really come full circle. I started with San Jose and here [in Pittsburgh] is where it really started, so it’s great.”

After losing the first two games of the Cup Final in Pittsburgh, the Sharks will look to rebound in Game 3 of the best-of-7 series at SAP Center on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

Fifteen years after falling short with the Penguins, getting his name on the Stanley Cup still drives Hedberg.

“Absolutely,” he said, “and the longer you get and the more intense you get, the more you realize how bad you want it.”

Hedberg, 43, was selected in the ninth round (No. 218) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1994 NHL Draft, but never was invited to training camp by them before his rights were traded to the Sharks in 1998. He toiled in the minor leagues for three years after that and was playing for the unaffiliated Manitoba Moose in the International Hockey League when the …

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