Kris Letang's Penguins teammates don't expect him to retire anytime soon
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Kris Letang, who turns 38 next week, has endured enough health ailments to make even the most hardened of doctors grimace.
He's had two strokes, major neck surgery, life-altering migraines, concussions, broken bones, torn ligaments and many unknown injuries suffered during a hockey life well lived.
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The latest? Letang underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a hole in his heart — that hole that has long been believed to be at the foundation of his strokes.
True to form, Letang, less than 24 hours after the operation, visited with his teammates on Wednesday before the Penguins practiced.
'I think he wants to play until he's 50,' Sidney Crosby said of his longtime friend and teammate.
There is very possibly truth in that sentiment. Letang is known for his outrageous conditioning and has three years remaining on his contract. He has never suggested that he wants this to be his final NHL contract.
The Penguins are downplaying Letang's latest medical update and have offered reassurance that the veteran defenseman did not sustain another stroke.
'This wasn't a reaction to anything from an injury standpoint,' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. 'This is something that Kris and the medical team have discussed for a long time. Given the circumstance with Kris right now — he's banged up, he's dealing with a lot of bumps and bruises — collectively, we thought as a group that it made the most sense to have the procedure done at this particular time. So, it isn't anything that caused it. It's just something that's an ongoing discussion for a long period of time now, and we just felt it was the opportune time to do it.'
The Penguins said in their news release that Letang's recovery time from the heart procedure is four to six weeks. Given that the Penguins have missed the playoffs, Letang won't be expected back in the lineup until October, which gives him time to prepare for his 20th NHL season.
His teammates are convinced Letang has no interest in walking away from the sport despite his health history, career accomplishments and financial security. Letang's career earnings are close to $100 million, he owns three Stanley Cup rings, he will be a good candidate to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and he has a young family. And yet, to those who know him best, retirement is the last thing on his mind.
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'Kris doesn't care about money or anything like that,' said P.O Joseph, one of Letang's closest friends. 'This is a guy who just wants to play hockey every night. He wants to be out there in the battle. He wants to win. I think it would take an awful to for him to quit playing, to be honest. It's a little scary, obviously — it's not like you ever want to hear about a teammate of yours having heart surgery. But he'll find a way to get back at it.'
Letang has been asked on many occasions about the idea of retiring because of his health concerns, namely the two strokes. He typically shrugs his shoulders, insists doctors have cleared him, and says 'I love hockey.'
His teammates certainly love him and are happy that he was in such good spirits on Wednesday morning.
They weren't surprised that he appeared so quickly following the procedure.
'He's a maniac,' fellow Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson said. 'I was expecting to see him (Tuesday), to be honest. I talked to him (Tuesday), though, so I knew he was fine.'
Heart surgery is never easy for anyone to accept. Hockey players, Karlsson said, are used to dealing with athletic-related injuries. This, of course, is an unusual situation for a professional athlete, especially one as physically finely tuned as Letang.
'He's had some issues in the past,' Karlsson said. 'That's probably one of the things you don't want to see. You break a leg? We're all accustomed to dealing with that. Heart issues, stuff like that, it's never good to see. But he was in here today and seemed in good spirits. Seemed like everything was well. He was in a good mood. I think that eases everybody's mind.'
Despite his long history of injuries and illness, Letang has played 1,161 games in his NHL career. Only two players in franchise history, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, have played more.
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Only 161 players in NHL history have played more career games than Letang.
'Obviously, anything like that, you get a little worried,' Bryan Rust said. 'Him, and other people, have reassured us that it wasn't too overly bad. It was just something that needed to be done.'
Rust said Letang had let teammates know well in advance that the procedure was likely to take place at some point.
'Guys have known about it for a little while now,' Rust said. 'He was really mature about it. He understood it needed to be done. He treated it that way.'
Whether because the surgery was old news to them or because the Penguins have supreme confidence in Letang, it was almost business as usual in the team's locker room on Wednesday.
'The thing is, he's good,' Joseph said. 'He's moving around pretty well, too. He's cracking jokes. He seems like he's in a really good place, and that's the most important thing of all right now. We're just all happy that he's OK.'
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