When packing for a 13-day, multi-city international trip, many people grab their big suitcase (this reporter did). The Lightning did the equivalent.It wasn’t so much the length of the trip as the international nature. When they go to Stockholm, they aren’t playing at an NHL arena with all of its usual amenities.Usually, the Lightning travel with about 5,000 pounds of gear (outside of everyone’s personal luggage). On this trip, they have about 7,000 pounds (still not counting the big suitcases).What is all that stuff?A lot of it is extra apparel. Buffalo and Tampa Bay are each home one of the two games. That means a separate uniform.Teams rarely-to-never travel with two jersey sets. Last year, Detroit asked the Lightning to wear their home blue jerseys to accommodate the Red Wings’ specialty jerseys. Toronto (the only other team on the trip) helped out by wearing white jerseys at home.Then there’s the extra gear. The Lightning have extras of almost everything. If anything goes wrong, getting a replacement would be challenging to say the least. They could get the basic hockey gear, like elbow pads — obviously Sweden has a lot of that. But anything branded (gloves, helmets, etc.) would have to come from North America and that isn’t happening quickly.The apparel and gear may not seem like a lot of weight, but it does add up. A few pieces of machinery make up the rest.The team usually brings some things, a skate sharpener, but Blademaster lent the Lightning two big glove dryers, which are wired for European outlets. Normally, those would be waiting at an arena.The equipment staff isn’t entirely sure what they’re going to get in Sweden. Ericsson Globe doesn’t have a full-time hockey tenant right now, so most everything has been constructed and brought in.“We’ve done this enough,” assistant equipment manager Rob Kennedy said, “like when we went to Prague, that we’ll be fine.”At least the Lightning didn’t have to haul everything from Tampa to Manhattan to New Jersey to Long Island. They shipped about 2,000 pounds to Long Island and picked it up there.It’s a good thing they don’t have to pay the extra baggage fees. Poster in childhood bedroom: Hedman’s bedroom had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles poster (his favorite was Michelangelo), but that wasn’t the primary decor. The best items were the hockey sticks from his hometown heroes Peter Forsberg, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Markus Naslund. Go-to coffee order: Hedman sticks to the basics. He orders a tall black coffee, nothing in it. Every once in a while, he might get a latte or cappuccino, but those are rare exceptions. Most hated food as a kid: Hedman was not into Falukorv, a Swedish sausage made from pork and beef with potato starch. Now, he likes it.· This was a tough way for Louis Domingue’s Lightning tenure to end. He revitalized his career here only to now have to do it again with the Devils. At least he isn’t in limbo any longer. Domingue has a new organization after four months of waiting for a trade. Sports is a business and all, but Domingue deserved better. He was a great backup last year, winning 21 games (and he was great with fans and the media). General manager Julien BriseBois said the Lightning wouldn’t be able to afford Domingue’s contract next year and so they made a move a year in advance. Now instead of being a very good NHL backup, Domingue is proving himself in the AHL again. That next contract might not be as big if he’s coming out of the AHL for it. It’s a rotten situation for a good goalie. Hopefully this new organization gets him back where he was a year ago and better.· Is this lacrosse or hockey? There were two lacrosse-style goals scored Tuesday and they deserve all the star-eyed emojis. Nils Hoglander, a Canucks prospect in the Swedish Hockey League, scored the first one. He passed to himself off the back of the net (for bonus points), then picked the puck up on his stick blade, wrapped around the net and threw it in the top corner. Later the same night, Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov became the first to score such a goal in the NHL. I’m here for the creative scoring.· I am lucky to have talented coworkers. You probably saw designer Sean Kristoff-Jones’ great stained glass motif on the cover of this year’s preview section. Well, those of us at the Times weren’t the only ones who were impressed by it. Artist Jim Gilroy of Kilroy Krafts in Valrico reproduced the graphic in actual stained glass! This week, Hedman offers a Swedish edition: Swedish foods: 3. Biff Rydberg (a beef, onion and potato dish). 2. Toast skagen (toast points with prawn topping) 1. Swedish candy, all of it Swedish hockey players: 3. Borje Salming. 2. Nicklas Lindstrom. 1. Peter Forsberg ABBA songs: 3. Mamma Mia. 2. Voulez-Vous. 1. Dancing Queen What makes a Swedish meatball different? There are a few components at play. They tend to be smaller than Italian (or Italian-American) meatballs and are made with more spices compared to herbs. The sauce is also different. Swedish meatballs are served in something more like gravy, as opposed to a red sauce. Then, of course, Swedish meatballs are usually served with potatoes and lingonberries. What is up with Nikita Kucherov? I got this question from a few different people, including David Lubin and Kurt Heubusch. If you have a question, @ me ! Kucherov has a tendency to let frustration get the best of him and the start to the season (both his and the team’s) has been nothing if not frustrating. It’s a sign of the expectations around Kucherov that we look at his 11 points in 12 games and say he’s not playing well.Known for his tape-to-tape passes seemingly out of nowhere, it’s weird to see his passes into empty space become turnovers. Kucherov always had some of those passes, it can happen when you see the game differently from those around you, but they’re usually more than balanced by the incredible playmaking. This year, that balance is out of whack. He doesn’t seem as engaged in the game.As for the suggestions that he should be dropped to the third or fourth lines, or even scratched, that’s not going to happen. For one, his game doesn’t fit those lines’ roles. For another, Kucherov is always a threat to go off. Teams need to respect his skill. A couple of good passes and he could start buzzing around again. Contact Diana C. Nearhos at dnearhos@tampabay.com . Follow @dianacnearhos
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