TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Before addressing his future with the Tampa Bay Lightning, star defenseman Victor Hedman wanted to take a moment to reminisce about the past.
Especially, his friendship of the past 15 seasons with Steven Stamkos, the longtime face of the franchise who left in free agency after failing to agree to a new contract with the club they helped win consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021.
“It’s not something that anyone expected. The same goes for me,” Hedman said Tuesday after signing a four-year, $32 million extension that will keep him in a Tampa Bay uniform through the 2028-29 season.
Stamkos, the team’s career scoring leader, landed a deal with the Nashville Predators for the same contract length and monetary value.
“It’s going to be hard to imagine going into our locker room, and going into Amalie Arena, and not seeing him on the ice,” Hedman said. “It’s kind of super, super weird. But at the end of the day, hockey is a business and this is what it’s come to.”
Stamkos, 34, entered the NHL with the Lightning as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft.
Tampa Bay selected Hedman second overall a year later, and the teenagers evolved into cornerstones of a franchise that’s been one of the league’s most successful over the past decade-plus.
“I’m obviously super, super, super excited to announce my extension. I love the organization, I love the city, I love the fans, and I love wearing that (Lightning logo) on my chest,” Hedman said.
“Hopefully, when it’s all said and done, I'd like to retire as a Bolt," he added. “But first and foremost, obviously, I want to try and do whatever I can to be at my best and help the team win another Stanley Cup."
Stamkos played 16 seasons in Tampa Bay. He left after general manager Julien BriseBois cleared enough room under the salary cap to keep the longtime captain but declined to increase the Lightning’s previous offer.
With Stamkos set to test his value on the open market, the Lightning used a significant chunk of the cap space created by trading defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and forward Tanner Jeannot to sign free agent forward Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63 million contract on Monday.
“Stammer is sincere in all the statements saying that he wanted to stay in Tampa. That shouldn’t be questioned. He definitely wanted to stay in Tampa,” BriseBois said Monday.
“At the same time it was clear throughout our process that he also had financial expectations that he expected us to meet,” the GM added. “Ultimately, I felt and made the decision that if I agreed to the terms that he wanted in order to get a deal done, I would not be putting ourselves in the best position to chase championships going forward.”
Hedman has one season remaining on his contract and BriseBois made it one of his top priorities to lock the four-time All-Star into a long-term deal this summer.
The native of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, is coming off a season in which he ranked fourth among NHL defenseman in assists (63), fifth in points (76), sixth in power-play points (31) and eighth for average time on ice (24:48).
One of just 11 defensemen in league history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs, Hedman has scored 156 goals and compiled 728 points over 1,052 regular-season games.
In addition, he has appeared in 165 playoff games, accumulating 117 points with 23 goals and 94 assists.
Tampa Bay also announced a two-year, $1.6 million extension Tuesday with 23-year-old defenseman Emil Lilleberg.
Former Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons signed a three-year, $2.55 million contract Monday. Last weekend, 24-year-old defenseman J.J. Moser, prospect Conor Geekie and two draft picks were acquired in one of the trades that created salary cap relief.
“We are a younger team, and we have a better pipeline and that means that in the long term, we’ve also improved our odds of having success,” BriseBois said. "So, over the last few weeks the end result is that we’ve improved our team and our odds of success both in the short term and in the long term.”
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FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) hits the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Los Angeles. Two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman Victor Hedman has signed a four-year, $32 million extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a deal that will keep him under contract with the team through the 2028-29 season. General manager Julien BriseBois announced the move Tuesday, July 2. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A driver behind the wheel of a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of New Orleans revelers on Bourbon Street early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 10 people in what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
After the vehicle stopped, the driver emerged from the truck and opened fire on responding officers, New Orleans police said.
Here is the latest:
If confirmed as inspired by the Islamic State, the attack would represent the deadliest such assault on U.S. soil in years. The militant group's flag was on the trailer hitch of the truck involved in the New Orleans attack, according to the FBI.
FBI officials have repeatedly warned about an elevated international terrorism threat due to the Israel-Hamas war.
In the last year, the FBI has disrupted other potential attacks inspired by the militant group, including in October when agents arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma accused of plotting an Election Day attack targeting large crowds.
The driver in the attack in New Orleans previously served in the Army.
A U.S. official said Shamsud-Din Jabbar got out of the Army in 2015 but it was not clear if he went into the Reserve after that. He served as an information technology specialist, the official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that had not yet been made public.
— By Tara Copp in Washington.
A 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge was among the 10 people killed.
Reggie Hunter had just left work and was headed with a cousin to celebrate New Year’s when the attack happened, his first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.
Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said.
Officials have not yet released the names of the victims, but their families and friends are talking about them.
Law enforcement officers have closed off a road leading to a Houston residence that records indicate was a recent address of the suspect in the New Orleans attack.
The white mobile home was behind a gate and in a small neighborhood where goats and ducks were roaming the grass.
A Mississippi man who was celebrating New Year's Eve in New Orleans says his friend who dreamed of becoming a nurse was among the people killed in an attack on Bourbon Street.
Zion Parsons, 18, said a vehicle suddenly appeared and he watched it hit his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux. At least 10 people were killed.
Parsons described the crowd scattering and the gruesome aftermath.
“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Parsons said.
He said he watched as authorities put a tarp over Dedeaux’s body. He later called Dedeaux’s family to tell them what had happened.
“I hadn’t had time to cry up until I called her mother and she asked me, ‘Where’s my baby’,” Parsons said. “That broke me.”
Officials say residents and visitors should feel safe in New Orleans even as they have repeatedly acknowledged that they are aggressively seeking additional possible suspects in the attack.
During a news conference, Gov. Jeff Landry bristled at a question about how officials were confident that Jabbar did not act alone, saying, “Why would we tell you?”
But a Louisiana State Police bulletin obtained by The Associated Press and circulated among law enforcement contained a possible clue. The document said surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices.
The pickup truck used in the attack was rented via Turo, an app that connects drivers, known as “guests,” with vehicle owners, known as “hosts,” according to Steve Webb, the company’s vice president of communications.
“We are heartbroken to learn that one of our host’s vehicles was involved in this awful incident,” Webb said in an email. “We are actively partnering with the FBI. We are not currently aware of anything in this guest’s background that would have identified him as a trust and safety threat to us at the time of the reservation.”
Investigators have reviewed video showing three men and a woman placing an improvised explosive device in connection with the car attack that killed at least 10 people in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
That’s according to a Louisiana State Police bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
The revelation could help explain why officials at a Wednesday news conference said that they were aggressively hunting for additional suspects and did not believe the driver of the pickup truck, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, acted alone.
Authorities say that the driver of the truck that rammed into the crowd in New Orleans drove onto a sidewalk, going around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic and protect Bourbon Street revelers.
A barrier system designed to prevent vehicle attacks was undergoing repairs in preparation for the Super Bowl, which is being played in the city in February.
The Sugar Bowl has been postponed for 24 hours after an attack during New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans left 10 people dead and at least 35 injured.
AllState Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley says the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame will be held Thursday. It had been scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Hundley says the decision was made in the interest of public safety.
The FBI says it does not believe that the Texas man who killed at least 10 people in a suspected New Orleans terror attack acted alone.
Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said at a news conference that officials are actively seeking any possible associates of the man, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
Authorities plan to hold a joint media briefing at 2 p.m. EST after an attack during New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans left 10 people dead and at least 35 injured.
Gov. Jeff Landry, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne E. Kirkpatrick, and Louisiana State Police Col. Robert P. Hodges will speak at the briefing.
The FBI confirmed that it has identified the driver who killed 10 people and injured dozens in New Orleans as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar. Investigators are working to gather additional information about Jabbar’s background and investigating an Islamic State flag that was with the vehicle, the FBI said.
An Islamic State group flag was recovered in the vehicle used by the attacker who killed at least 10 people early Wednesday in New Orleans, the FBI said in a statement.
The FBI says it is still investigating the attacker, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, to determine “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.”
Jabbar was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3:15 a.m. in an area teeming with New Year’s revelers, the FBI said.
— By Erik Tucker, Jim Mustian, Zeke Miller, Alanna Durkin Richer and Michael Balsamo
Law enforcement has identified the driver who killed 10 people and injured dozens in New Orleans as a 42-year-old man, six law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press.
The officials identified the suspect as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar.
Investigators were working to gather additional information about Jabbar’s background and investigating an unfurled black flag that was with the vehicle, the officials said.
A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed by police.
The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Louisiana’s governor says people should stay away from the French Quarter because of the investigation into the deadly attack by a pickup driver that killed 10 people.
Gov. Jeff Landry posted on the social media platform X that authorities face “a fluid situation” as they investigate.
Landry posted, “We recognize that there are tourists around us, and we urge all to avoid the French Quarter as this is an active investigation.”
The Superdome, set to host a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night, is on lockdown for security sweeps.
People with offices in the Superdome — including officials with the Sugar Bowl and Sun Belt Conference — were told not to come into work until further notice.
However, there was no immediate word that the Sugar Bowl, scheduled to kick off at 7:45 p.m., might be delayed.
What we know after a driver crashes into pedestrians on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, killing 10
A driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of New Orleans revelers early on New Year’s Day, killing 10 people and injuring more than 30 in what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
The driver was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday along Bourbon Street in the city’s bustling French Quarter, the FBI said.
Investigators were combing the French Quarter for potential explosive devices, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said officials were investigating at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.
Harris County Sheriff's officers clear the media from the neighborhood where 42-year-old suspect Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar is believed to have lived, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Houston, after a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of New Orleans revelers on Bourbon Street early on New Year's Day. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Trevant Hayes, 20, sits in the French Quarter after the death of his friend, Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, after a pickup truck crashed into pedestrians on Bourbon Street followed by a shooting in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
The FBI investigates the area on Orleans St and Bourbon Street by St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter where a suspicious package was detonated after a person drove a truck into a crowd earlier on Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
A member of the emergency services walks past a police barricade after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Investigators work the scene after a person drove a vehicle into a crowd earlier on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The FBI investigates the area on Orleans St and Bourbon Street by St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter where a suspicious package was detonated after a person drove a truck into a crowd earlier on Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
The St. Louis Cathedral is seen on Orleans St is seen in the French Quarter where a suspicious package was detonated after a person drove a truck into a crowd earlier on Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Emergency personnel work the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Security personnel investigate the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
