Letang traveled rough road to cusp of 1,000 NHL games with Penguins

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Kris Letang never thought he'd reach 1,000 NHL games.

Just one game away, the 35-year-old defenseman said he has appreciated a difficult, fulfilling journey with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"You just dream of playing in the NHL," Letang said. "As your career goes on, there's different things that go through your mind. Obviously, on the injury side, I was not fortunate. I was kind of doubting that it would happen one day."
It's on the verge of happening, though, with Letang set to reach the milestone against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, ATTSN-PT, NBCSP+, ESPN PLUS, SN NOW).
But the doubts are understandable.
Neck surgery to repair a herniated disc the week of April 13, 2017, left Letang sidelined, watching the Penguins win the second of two straight Stanley Cup championships.
There have been two strokes.
The first came in late January 2014. He was out more than two months after tests revealed he was born with a small hole in the wall of his heart, which typically closes on its own in most people.
Letang suffered his second on Nov. 28 this season, missing five games before returning Dec. 10.
A lower-body injury on Dec. 28 derailed Letang's comeback after eight games, but he traveled with Pittsburgh to Boston for the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic.
Sometime between watching a Jan. 1 practice at Fenway Park and the game on Jan. 2, Letang was informed of the death of his father, Claude Fouquet. He flew home to Montreal, spending more than two weeks away from Pittsburgh before returning for a practice Jan. 17.
Letang was out another week with the injury. He came back Jan. 24 with four points (two goals, two assists), including his first of three overtime goals this season in a 7-6 win against the Florida Panthers.
That could prove pivotal for the Penguins (37-29-10), who are one point behind the Panthers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
"You know he's not coming back from an easy situation," center Sidney Crosby said. "It's never easy, emotionally, with what he had to go through. Just seeing him back is a big boost, but when you see him back like that and playing the way he did and just with that energy and passion that he played with, that's something that's contagious."
Pittsburgh has made the playoffs in 16 straight seasons, the longest active streak in North American major professional sports. It last missed in 2005-06, the season before Letang debuted.
Letang, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the pillars of that run, with the latter two the only players to reach 1,000 games with the Penguins; Crosby has played 1,184 and Malkin 1,057.
"As you get closer, you see the two guys you've played your entire career with, they get there," Letang said. "They had their fair share of injuries too. I'm pretty excited. It's something I never thought I would do in my life."
Letang is lauded as a workhorse, averaging 24:12 of ice time in 17 seasons. He has led Pittsburgh with an average of 24:42 ice time in 928 games since 2008-09, when he won the Stanley Cup for the first of three times (2009, 2016, 2017).
Letang has the most goals (154), assists (532) and points (686) by a defenseman in Penguins history. His points are the third most at the position since 2006-07, trailing Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns (811; 236 goals, 575 assists) and San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson (755; 175 goals, 580 assists).
"I think it just speaks volumes to his commitment to his game and his passion to play the sport," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "He loves hockey. He loves being around it. We have to drag him off the ice every day, it seems. That's the type of person, that's the type of player that he is."
Letang wasn't guaranteed to stay with the Penguins; he agreed to terms on a six-year, $36.6 million contract on July 7, and leads Pittsburgh defensemen this season with 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists) in 58 games.
The numbers are impressive on their own, Crosby said, more so considering Letang's path.
"We've spent a lot of time together," Crosby said. "He's kind of taken the long road to 1,000. He's been through a lot. Obviously, he's had to battle through a number of injuries. His game, itself, is a pretty tough game, the way that he plays.
"One thousand is probably more than that, given the way he plays and the amount of time he plays. It's a milestone for anybody, but for sure, the way that he plays the game and the amount of minutes that he plays, that's a lot of hockey."