Penguins defenseman Kris Letang suffers 2nd stroke, out indefinitely

Kris Letang said it in a very casual manner.

But with undeniable confidence.

On July 7, during the first night of the NHL Draft at the Bell Centre in his hometown of Montreal, the All-Star defenseman was asked about the six-year contract extension he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the day at the age of 35.

He indicated he planned on being the high-end player he has largely been throughout the bulk of his dazzling existence as an NHLer for the remainder of the contract.

“I always saw my career going that far,” Letang said. “In my mind, I was going to play at that level until I was 41, 42.

“Maybe even more.”

Nearly five months later, those ambitions ran into a considerable impediment.

On Wednesday, the team announced Letang, a pillar of the franchise for more than a decade and a half, suffered a stroke Monday.

The severity of Letang’s condition isn’t precisely known at this point, but many signs point to it not being particularly dire, at least within the context of such a serious condition.

Per a release from the team, Letang is not experiencing any lingering effects from the stroke and the condition is not expected to be career threatening. Officially, he is sidelined indefinitely.

General manager Ron Hextall indicated Letang was present at Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena and that the two chatted throughout most of the second period.

Letang expressed at least one concern to Hextall.

“‘When can I skate?’” a gob-smacked Hextall recalled to media in the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Wednesday. “He’s a terrific human being.

“And he’s one tough SOB.”

This is the second time that toughness has been put to the test in this fashion. In the late stages of the 2013-14 campaign, Letang missed 26 games due to a stroke but was able to return for the final three games of the regular season and participated in 13 of the Penguins’ postseason games.

That stroke involved a small hole in the wall of his heart that was present at birth. In describing the stroke in 2014, Letang indicated he was lying on the floor and “was not able to function.”

By all accounts, the stroke he suffered Monday is not nearly as harrowing. By Hextall’s account, no one event on or off the ice led to this stroke.

“It was Monday and he just called (athletic trainer Chris Stewart) and said that (there was) a migraine going on and some things going on, doesn’t feel right,” Hextall said. “That’s when (Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, the team’s head physician) just said immediately take him to the hospital. It was discovered on Monday night.

“The severity of it, not to underplay what happened, it’s much less severe than the one eight years ago.”

On his radio show with team broadcaster Josh Getzoff, Hextall clarified that Letang was hospitalized overnight before being released Tuesday.

In addition to holding court with Hextall during Tuesday’s game, Letang addressed his teammates following the contest.

“After the game last night, I informed the players of Kris’ circumstance,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “(Letang) was at the game afterward. He was in the locker room with me when I did. I think it was important for Kris to be there because his teammates got to see him in good spirits and see that he’s doing well.”

Letang issued a statement through the team Wednesday afternoon.

“I am fortunate to know my body well enough to recognize when something isn’t right,” Letang said. “While it is difficult to navigate this issue publicly, I am hopeful it can raise awareness. It is important for me that my teammates, family and the fans know that I am OK. I am optimistic that I will be back on the ice soon.”

Injecting a bit of levity into a heavy topic, Sullivan quipped that Letang was ready to practice Wednesday.

“The biggest challenge for me today was to find a way to keep him off the ice today,” Sullivan said. “He wanted to skate today. That’s just an indication of (Letang’s) passion to play and want to get back with his team.”

While the team’s on-ice fortunes are trivial against the backdrop of Letang’s well being, the reality of forging on without such a vital component of their roster is stark.

In 21 games this season, Letang leads the team’s defensemen with 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) and paces all of the Penguins’ non-goaltenders in ice time with an average of 23:54 per contest.

“He’s not easy to replace,” Sullivan said. “He’s an elite player. We rely on him in so many situations. He’s not easy to replace, but it’s not anything that we haven’t been faced with in the past. The reality is we have what we have. We’ve got to figure it out. I don’t think we’ll replace him with any one guy. I think it will be by committee as it usually is when you lose a player of that stature. We’ll figure it out with the group that we have. We have a very capable group.

“The expectation here is that we’re going to win. We’re going to find ways to win. We’re going to try to put players in positions to be successful and play to their strengths as a coaching staff. We’ll sort through the challenges that are presented with us. I’m stating the obvious when I say that he’s not easy to replace.”

It’s probably premature to examine into the Penguins’ options with their roster or the salary cap given the uncertainty that still exists over Letang’s health.

But what is certain is what Letang — the human — means to the Penguins.

“First and foremost, this is about the person,” Hextall said. “I told (Letang) that last night. This is Kris Letang, the father, the family guy. The hockey player and the Pittsburgh Penguin, that’s secondary. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure Kris’ health is first and foremost. The other part of it will come as it comes.

“I think the guys will be playing for ‘Tanger’ a little bit.”

For several of them, “teammate” fails to sufficiently explain who Kris Letang is to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“Some of these guys have played with him for 15 years,” Sullivan said. “They’re close friends. They care about each other as people, first and foremost. Something like this just brings … it just puts it into perspective. We love the game. We compete hard. We live and die with winning and losing every night.

“But at the end of the day, we care about people. And he’s a guy that I think means a lot to our team.”

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