Less than two weeks after suffering a stroke, Kris Letang returned to the Penguins lineup on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.
"It feels great," he said with a smile after the game. "As I was starting to feel better, you get anxious, you want to go back out there. With the schedule, we don't have a chance to practice that much, so tried to prepare the best I could. Timing needs to get a little bit better, but legs were there, felt pretty good."
Letang Returns to the Lineup Less Than Two Weeks After Stroke
The franchise blueliner skated a team-high 22:14 minutes in Pittsburgh's 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, saying that he was in constant communication with assistant coach Todd Reirden, who kept track of how he felt.
"He was assuring everyone that he felt great," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "It means the world to our team (to have him back). We're a whole different defense corps when he's in the lineup. I'm sure I'm stating the obvious when I say that. He's just an elite defenseman. I thought he played a terrific game coming back."
This isn't the first time Letang has returned after experiencing a stroke, with the first one happening eight years ago. Back then, he missed over two months as medical professionals had to figure out what had caused it, and testing determined he was born with a very small hole in the wall of his heart.
Head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas said that could have created a stroke twice now in Letang's body, with this one being much smaller and less severe than the first one. So, Letang was optimistic right from the start that he would be back sooner rather than later, between that and needing less time for diagnostics.
But obviously, 'stroke' is a scary word, and it's a serious medical situation. So for Letang to be fortunate enough to not only return to normal life, but play professional hockey at his usual elite level, after all of this is nothing short of remarkable.
"He's looking good for going what he's gone through," captain Sidney Crosby said. "He's done similar things, but nothing like this. He's found a way again to surprise us all, and had a great game."
"I knew that he was in good spirits and he was feeling a lot better, thankfully. But obviously, everybody is so happy to have him back," goaltender Casey DeSmith said. "It's a scary thing for us to hear and, obviously, for him to go through. I'm so glad he's back, and I think the team really showed up the past couple games. Tonight, he was a huge part of that win."
When the Penguins first announced on Nov. 30 that Letang was not experiencing any lasting effects from the stroke he had experienced two days later, they said he continue to undergo a series of tests over that next week.
During that period, Letang received approval from the medical staff to briefly take the ice, more for his own mental health and peace of mind than anything. He did begin skating in an actual hockey capacity on Tuesday, working with assistant coach Ty Hennes in full gear ahead of the team's optional morning skate versus Columbus.
Letang was then cleared to rejoin practice on Thursday, and flew with the team to Buffalo that afternoon for the first half of their home-and-home with the Sabres. He debuted a tinted visor during the optional morning skate on Friday.
After returning to Pittsburgh, Letang skated this morning. And when Sullivan did his pregame availability two hours before puck drop, he said that Letang would be available to play and was a game-time decision. During warmups, it became official - Letang was in.
"When I started feeling better, obviously I ramped up the intensity in practice, but there was a couple of things we had to wait on. Like blood tests, stuff like that, just to make sure I can go into contact," Letang said. "Once it was clear, I got the green light."
Sullivan said he understands that from the outside, it can appear stunning that Letang was able to return so quickly after what he went through. But Sullivan reiterated that they are taking every precaution to make sure it's safe for him to play.
"But what I will tell you is that Kris has a medical team of doctors that have put him through a litany of tests, and these are some of the smartest doctors in the world in their respective field. These are the guys that are making those types of decisions and recommendations," Sullivan said. "Some people may have questions about it, but these people know a whole lot more about it than we do.
"Kris' health, first and foremost, is the utmost priority from everybody. That's a conversation that we have all the time, and that's always at the forefront, is his health, first and foremost. No one has any intention of compromising that. And so, we'll trust our medical team, and make decisions accordingly."
