Coffey, Letang Share Mutual Respect for Each Other's Accomplishments

In 2007, Paul Coffey returned to Pittsburgh to accept induction into the Penguins' Hall of Fame. When he watched that night's game from the press box, a rookie caught his eye.
"[Broadcaster] Bob Errey was doing the game, and I said, 'Who's that No. 58 out there? He's good,'" Coffey remembered.
"It was Kris Letang. It was his first year. I've been a fan of his ever since I first laid eyes on him."

Letang is an mutual admirer, so it was a thrill for both when Letang's assist in the Penguins' 5-1 home loss to Montreal Oct. 6 gave him 441 career points, most ever among Penguins defensemen. Coffey had 440 points as a Penguin.
"I like everything about him," Coffey said of Letang. "He can skate, he can shoot, he can pass, he understands the game, and he respects the game. He's just a very great student of the game, and I couldn't be happier for him."
Letang is honored by the parallel drawn by setting the record: "To get my name written in next to Paul Coffey is pretty cool. You grow up and you just dream about playing in the NHL. Now, to have my name next to Paul Coffey, it's pretty exciting."
Coffey got to his mark faster: He posted 108 goals and 332 assists in just 331 games as a Penguin. Letang has 98 goals and 343 assists in 684 games.
But Coffey played in a different, higher-scoring era.
"The guys were a little more creative back then," Coffey said. "Everybody checks a little closer right now. It's a little bit tighter.
"But for Kris to get there, and have [441 points], and he's still got a lot of runway left - I expect some great things out of him going forward."
Like Letang, Coffey had plenty of help from his teammates in Pittsburgh.
Coffey's most productive season as a Penguin was 1988-89, when he got 30 goals and 83 assists in 75 games. Center Mario Lemieux posted his biggest numbers ever that same campaign: 85 goals and 114 assists in 76 games.
"A lot of it had to do with No. 66 for sure," Coffey said. "When Edmonton traded me to Pittsburgh [on Nov. 24, 1987], somebody said to me, 'You're never going to win again.' I said, 'Uh-uh. I just played with a kid in the Canada Cup in '87 who's a damn good player.' Mario was just so talented.
"When you play with good players, and you think like good players, you can put the points up."
Forgive Coffey if the Penguins' 7-6 OT win over visiting Washington on opening night made him a bit wistful for the high-flying days of yore.
"I liked that game, when Kris got the overtime winner," Coffey said. "There were a lot of goals scored by the Penguins, and the last time I looked, there aren't too many people leaving the building when there's a game like that.
"That's excitement. That's what they want to see. They've done a good job in Pittsburgh over the years with the talent they have."
Letang is a big part of that talent.
"When you run into a young guy like Kris - well, he's 30 years old now, but when he was a kid, just the respect he gave me when I was talking to him was pretty cool. Because some guys, unfortunately, you don't get it," Coffey said.
"But he's a very respectful kid. Loves Pittsburgh. Loves to win. Loves everything about the game. Loves and respects the players who played before him. I've got a lot of time for guys who act like that."
Coffey's career numbers are overwhelming.
Coffey won four Stanley Cups: Three with Edmonton, one with Pittsburgh (the Penguins' first, in 1991). He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman three times: 1984-85 and 1985-86 with Edmonton, and 1994-95 with Detroit.
Coffey ranks second all-time among NHL defensemen in goals (396), assists (1,135) and points (1,531), trailing only Ray Bourque in each category. His 48 goals in 1985-86 are the most in a single season by a defenseman.
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