Now that he’s only two games away from that goal, the defenseman is in a position to look back on his difficult but rewarding journey with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We dream of just playing in the NHL,” Letang said. As our career progresses, several things cross our minds. Obviously I was unlucky on the injury side. I doubted that I would ever get there. »
He’s close to getting there though, as he plays two games in two days at home, starting with a duel once morest the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, SN1, SN NOW). Letang is then expected to play the 1,000th game of his career once morest the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.
READ ALSO: Toews will return to action on Saturday, but cannot comment on his future
We can however understand him to have entertained certain doubts.
Neck surgery to fix a herniated disc during the week of April 13, 2017 confined Letang to the role of spectator as the Penguins won the Stanley Cup for the second straight year.
He also suffered two strokes.
The first came at the end of January 2014. He was sidelined for two months, and tests revealed he was born with a small hole in the wall of his heart, a phenomenon that closes on its own in most people.
Letang suffered his second stroke on Nov. 28 this season. He missed five games before returning to action on December 10.
A lower-body injury suffered Dec. 28 marred Letang’s return following eight games, but he was able to travel with Pittsburgh to Boston for the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic.
Sometime between practice on January 1 and at Fenway Park and the game on January 2, Letang was informed of the death of his father, Claude Fouquet. He flew back to Montreal, and spent more than two weeks away from Pittsburgh before returning to practice Jan. 17.
Letang missed another week due to this injury. He marked his comeback Jan. 24 with four points (two goals, two assists), including the first of three game-winning goals in overtime this season in a 7-6 win over the Florida Panthers.
The win might prove crucial for the Penguins (37-28-10), who lead the Panthers by one point for second-fourth ace in the Eastern Conference.
Video: undefined
“We knew he was coming back to the game following going through a situation that was far from easy, noted the center Sidney Crosby. It’s never easy, emotionally, what he’s been through. Just seeing him once more gave us a big boost of energy, but when we got to see him play like that, with that energy and that passion, it was really contagious. »
Pittsburgh has been in the playoffs for the past 16 seasons, the longest active streak of its kind on the major professional sports circuits in North America. The Penguins were last shut out of the playoffs in 2005-06, the season before Letang made his NHL debut.
Letang, Crosby et al Evgeni Malkin are the pillars of this streak, while the last two are the only other two players to have played 1,000 games with the Penguins; Crosby contested 1183 once morest 1056 for Malkin.
“As I got closer to that plateau, I might see the two guys I’ve played my entire career with reach it,” Letang said. They, too, suffered their share of injuries. I am very enthusiastic. This is a plateau that I never thought I would reach in my life. »
Letang is recognized as a true workhorse, having posted an average ice time per game of 24:12 over his 17 seasons. He leads Pittsburgh with an average ice time of 24:42 in 928 games since 2008-09, when he lifted the Stanley Cup for the first of his three conquests (2009, 2016, 2017).
Letang ranks first in Penguins history in goals (154), assists (532) and points (686) by a defenseman. Since joining the NHL in 2006-07, he ranks third in scoring among all defensemen behind Brent Burns Carolina Hurricanes (810; 236 goals, 574 assists) and Erik Karlsson from San Jose Sharks (751; 175 goals, 576 assists).
“I think that speaks volumes regarding his dedication and passion for the sport,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. He loves hockey. He loves being in contact with this sport. It seems like we have to drag him off the rink every day. It’s the type of person he is, the type of player he is. »
Letang’s future with the Penguins wasn’t always guaranteed. He agreed to a six-year, $36.6 million contract on July 7, days before becoming an unrestricted free agent, and leads Pittsburgh defensemen this season with 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists ) in 57 games.
Those stats are impressive on their own, Crosby says, but they’re even more so when you consider how far Letang has come.
“We spent a lot of time together,” Crosby said. He took a long road to reach 1000 games. He went through a lot of hardships. He obviously had to overcome several injuries. He plays very hard, that’s how he plays.
“He’s played 1,000 games, but his body has probably felt a lot more than that, with the way he plays and the time he spends on the ice. He’s a nice field for everyone, but with the way he behaves on the ice, it’s really a lot of hockey in his case. »
