2023 hasn't been kind to the Pittsburgh Penguins so far, but they're coming together as a team.
PITTSBURGH - Ever since the year turned to 2023, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had hectic and emotional couple of days.
Starting with losing their starting goalie early in the Winter Classic all the way until crawiling back from a three goal deficit in the first period, the Penguins have fought through quite a lot.
Not only was Tristan Jarry forced out early during the Winter Classic, but they played the game without Kris Letang.
After a team practice at Fenway Park, Letang went to Montreal to be with family following the death of his father.
Following their victory in Arizona, the rest of the Penguins joined Letang in Montreal for his father’s funeral.
It was a moment to show that the Penguins are more than just a team and a showing of appreciation for one of their leaders.
The Penguins returned home for a game against the Vancouver Canucks, and it wasn’t a great start.
Casey DeSmith allowed three goals on seven shots and Dustin Tokarski was put in net in relief.
The Penguins came back to win 5-4 and head coach Mike Sullivan expressed his appreciation for the team both on and off the ice.
“I give our team a lot of credit, I’m proud of the group,” Sullivan said. “It’s not easy to dig your self out of a three-goal deficit. Especially under the circumstances.”
Those circumstances were nothing easy or light; Sullivan said before the game that the trip to Montreal was a team decision and there were some hoops to jump through.
The coaches and players knew they wanted to be there for Letang, who multiple players referred to as not just a teammate, but their family.
Climbing back from three goals behind, the day after a pit stop in Montreal, couldn’t have been easy, but the Penguins never lost hope and Sullivan is proud of his team.
“We’ve had a couple of real emotional days from a team standpoint,” Sullivan said. “I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
It’s still not clear when Letang will return to Pittsburgh and hit the ice again with the Penguins, but it should be a huge boost when he does.
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