Letestu calls Masterton nomination 'a really cool honour'

WINNIPEG -Seven games in the 2019-20 National Hockey League season, Mark Letestu had the game taken away from him.
Even as he walked into head athletic therapist Rob Milette's office, the 35-year-old veteran of 567 NHL games assumed he'd be playing number 568 in a matter of weeks.
"In typical hockey player athlete fashion, you just ask for the time frame," said Letestu. "Typically we're in weeks - we're two-to-four weeks, four-to-six weeks - it's broken, it's healed, you go back and play."
But that wasn't the case.
Letestu was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle which can affect the heart and its electrical system, reducing its ability to pump and cause rapid or abnormal heart rhythms.

Over the next six months, he worked his way back to the point where he was one day away from playing in a game with Winnipeg's American Hockey League affiliate - the Manitoba Moose - before the season was put on pause.
While he didn't get to game action, his efforts resulted in the Winnipeg chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association nominating him for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
"It's a really cool honour," he said. "The caveat is that something negative, or some sort of adversity has to happen, and you come through it on the other end. After taking some time to digest it, see who the award is about, and what it represents, it's really cool to be nominated."

Letestu is one of 31 nominees that were announced on June 9. The trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
At the start of the season, Letestu's first in Winnipeg, it would be almost impossible to predict that the 35-year-old would be in this position.
However, at the start of training camp, the Jets medical staff noticed some irregularities in Letestu's results.
"The doctors were going through every protocol and getting opinions. They really did their due diligence on me, which I appreciate because if it goes on any longer, who knows," said Letestu.
Once he had the diagnosis, Letestu shifted his focus to getting better. But if the news of having myocarditis wasn't enough, Letestu also learned the recovery typically takes six months. For the majority of that time, he'd also have to monitor his heart rate and restrict physical activity.
His family was back in Columbus, so Letestu's teammates were his support system.
"They took care of me early on, lending support, and helping you get through the first bit of it," Letestu said. "Then they sent me home to be with my family, which probably was the most important thing in my recovery. Just take your mind off not being able to do what you love to do. At the same time, being at home and really taking care of your primary responsibilities as a father and husband."

His time away from the game gave him perspective. Of course, family is always of utmost importance and the established routine he had while at home was helpful. He also grew an even bigger appreciation for his spot on an NHL roster.
"When you miss that for a while, you really want to get back," Letestu said.
Turns out, the Jets wanted him back just as much.
Letestu received the "all clear" from the Mayo Clinic in February.
"I think I was in on a Thursday, I asked if I could come back on Monday," Letestu said. "(Milette) said 'I want you back sooner. Can you be in on Saturday?' So it was a really cool feeling to be wanted and needed again, then get back in the group."
Under Milette's watchful eye, Letestu skated on his own in a track suit, then in a non-contact jersey with his teammates. By the time March rolled around, Letestu was close.
On March 10, Letestu was assigned to the Manitoba Moose on a conditioning assignment.
"That was an opportunity to see where I was at physically to go out with the Moose and play," said Letestu, who watched the Jets beat the Oilers on March 11.
"Then Rudy Gobert all of a sudden has tested positive (for Covid-19) and the NBA is shutting down," he said. "You could tell right then that the world was probably going to change, especially sports."
Letestu and the Moose had a flight at 6 a.m. CT the next morning to head to Milwaukee. They got on the plane, but got the news when they arrived that the season - and Letestu's comeback - was on hold.
"You land, then you hear that they're shutting things down. We stayed a couple hours, had a coffee in Milwaukee, and flew back," he said.
"That was disappointing for me… it's just one of those years. It wasn't going to happen."
Now back in Ohio with his family, Letestu calls himself a "full on baseball dad" as his kids are playing Little League baseball tournaments and he's going from ball diamond to ball diamond with them.
"I'm enjoying as much time as a I can with my kids and my wife. We have a bit of a moving target for when I'm coming back," he said. "There is obviously a focus on that and training and skating and being ready for Game 1 of the playoffs whenever that day comes."