On Monday, Kris Letang called head athletic trainer Chris Stewart, saying he had a migraine and that something didn't feel right. After he reported those symptoms, head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas said to take the defenseman to the hospital immediately.
After getting some tests done, it was determined that Letang had suffered a stroke. He is not experiencing any lasting effects, and will continue to undergo a series of tests over the next week. The condition is not considered to be career-threatening. The full details can be found here.
After the news came out on Wednesday, Penguins general manager Ron Hextall and head coach Mike Sullivan spoke to the media at length to provide more information about Letang's situation. First and foremost, they wanted to reiterate that Kris is doing well, both physically and mentally, considering what happened.
Letang Doing Well and in Good Spirits After Stroke
The defenseman was at the arena for Pittsburgh's game on Tuesday after being diagnosed Monday
From a physical standpoint, this stroke is much less severe than the one Letang suffered eight years ago. The morning of Jan. 29, 2014, he experienced an episode with dizziness and nausea, but still traveled with the team to Los Angeles for their Moms' Trip, thinking it would all clear up. But it didn't, and a few days later, doctors diagnosed Letang - then 26 years old - with a stroke.
He ended up missing over two months, and during that time period, testing revealed that Letang was born with a very small hole in the wall of his heart. Although the small defect in the wall is apparent in all individuals, it typically closes on its own in most people.
After everything he went through during that experience, Letang, now 35, feels fortunate to know his body well enough to recognize when something is off. That helped him get diagnosed quickly this time around, and out of the hospital in time to attend Pittsburgh's game against Carolina on Tuesday. And so far, what they've gotten back from a testing standpoint has been very encouraging, with Hextall saying everything is looking as positive as it could be.
"We're all hopeful here that he's going to be okay, and that he can continue to play and help us win," Sullivan said before adding with a smile, "The biggest challenge for me today was to try to find a way to keep him off the ice. He wanted to skate today. That's just an indication of Tanger's passion to play and wanting to get back with his team."
That being said, Hextall said there is truly no timeline for when he'll be ready to go, and right now, it's not important. This is about Kris Letang the father and the family guy, not Kris Letang the hockey player and Pittsburgh Penguin. His health is absolutely the top priority, and everything else will follow.
"I think when something like this arises, it certainly puts things in perspective for all of us," Sullivan said. "We love the game. We compete hard. We live and die with winning and losing every night. But at the end of the day, we care about people, and he's a guy that I think means a lot to our team."
From a mental standpoint, Letang has been taking the diagnosis well. "He understands. He's been through this before," Hextall said. "This was much less severe than what happened to him eight years ago, and I think there's a lot of comfort in that for him." But Letang understands that the word 'stroke' is a scary one, so he joined Sullivan in the locker room when the coach informed the players of the situation after the game.
"I think it was important for Kris to be there, because his teammates got to see him in good spirits," Sullivan said. "These guys, you could see the concern on their faces when I informed them last night after the game. I thought it was great that Tanger was present, so they had an opportunity to see him, and see that he's doing well.
"Just knowing this group the way I know them, they'll rally around this. They'll rally around Kris, first and foremost, and help him in every way they can. But they'll rally around him on the ice as well."
Both Hextall and Sullivan struggled to put into words what Letang means not only in terms of what he brings on the ice, as a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, Pittsburgh's franchise defenseman, and a member of the Big Three along with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But off the ice, they spoke of the relationships Letang has formed - particularly with Sid and Geno, who have been by his side for 17 years - during his time in Pittsburgh.
"The level of hockey he's played, for as long as he's played, is absolutely incredible," Hextall said. "The level he's continued to play at, at his age, the type of shape he's in… I've been here for less than two years, and I know I know how much I realize already how much he means to this organization, this city and how much he means to his teammates. He's a warrior. He was talking last night about, 'when can I skate?' He's a terrific human being, and he's one tough S.O.B."
