Kris Letang returned to practicing with his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates just 10 days after being diagnosed with a stroke.
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins had a familiar face with them on the ice for their most recent practice, and it may have been a shock to many.
Just over a week after suffering the second stroke of his life, defenseman Kris Letang skated with his Penguins teammates.
While team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas says this isn’t an accelerated timeline, Letang’s teammates were surprised, but excited to see him back.
“It was awesome,” forward Jeff Carter said. “He’s been around and whatnot, but it’s nice to get him back out on the ice.”
Letang has been skating on his own since the stroke diagnosis, but was never cleared to return to team activities.
Carter said that he had no idea Letang would be practicing with the team until the morning of the practice.
“I found out this morning that he was skating with us,” Carter said. “It’s definitely a big boost for our team.”
Without ever giving a timetable or removing Letang from the active roster, the Penguins stated that he was considered day-to-day going forward.
The Penguins have played five games in Letang’s absence, but his return may be closer than first anticipated.
“It’s great,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “He’s been skating a little bit here, that just means things are going well and it’s great to see him out here with us.”
Ever since his diagnosis, Letang has been by his team’s side just about every day and still showing to be an important piece to the Penguins locker room.
“I think everybody is excited,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s just an indication of the progress that he’s made. He’s obviously a huge part of this team.”
The Penguins never gave a timetable for when Letang would return to the ice, but have labeled him as day-to-day as he takes his first reps with the team since his stroke.
Even without a clear date for return, the Penguins are happy to see Letang back in action by their side and are hopeful to see him in a full capacity again soon.
“He’s close friends with all of his teammates,” Sullivan said. “We all care about him. To see him on the ice… it’s a little bit of a sense of relief. Everybody was real excited about him joining the group.”
The Penguins will play the Buffalo Sabres twice in two days and Letang isn’t expected to play but the team is sure to have a huge boost in moral seeing their veteran teammate back by their side on the ice.
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