Kris Letang returns to Penguins practice 10 days after suffering 2nd stroke

Given his recent health scare, Kris Letang’s return to practice warranted a hearty welcome if not an outright celebration.

Letang was greeted by exactly that Thursday morning at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, when he took the ice donning a regular yellow practice jersey.

The 35-year-old was ruled out indefinitely after suffering a stroke Nov. 28 but was a full participant in practice Thursday for the first time since.

Kris Letang is on the ice. Regardless of what update Mike Sullivan may or may not give on his status, it’s incredible in its own right that he’s skating and back at it a week after suffering a stroke. pic.twitter.com/Goj6rVPkpd

— Justin Guerriero (@GuerrieroTRIB) December 8, 2022

As things got underway, coach Mike Sullivan assembled all players in front of their bench to speak a few brief words about Letang’s presence, which was met by a chorus of stick-taps and fist bumps between Letang and his teammates.

“He’s obviously a huge part of this team,” Sullivan said. “He’s close friends with all of his teammates. We all care about him, so to see him on the ice for all of us, I think, is a little bit of a sense of relief. It’s just a great visual that he’s making progress.”

News of Letang’s second stroke, which was made public Nov. 30, undoubtedly sent a shockwave through the Penguins locker room, front office and fan base alike.

The first one he suffered, in 2014, sidelined him for multiple months. Naturally, this time around, concern abounded about the short and long-term health of Letang, a husband and father of two.

“(It’s) scary, to be honest,” Letang said. “My kids don’t care if I’m a hockey player or not. They care about having a dad. Same thing with my wife — she could care less about hockey and everything. She knows that there’s so much more after hockey. There’s a long time, and you want to be able to enjoy those moments with your family and the kids. It was hard, but like I said, we’ve been through this.”

Looking at on-the-ice matters, Letang’s absence has deprived the Penguins of a stalwart presence defensively and on the power play. His average of 23 minutes, 54 seconds remains a team-high, even with his continued absence.

In 21 games played on the year, Letang had also contributed a goal and 11 assists.

As it has turned out, with Letang recovering, the Penguins have gone 3-0-1 without him heading into Friday evening’s game at Buffalo.

Though Letang’s status is day-to-day, with no formal time frame as to when he’ll next play, a long-term absence akin to what his first stroke brought about does not appear to be in the cards.

“Last time, we actually had to figure out why he had the stroke,” said Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, Penguins head team physician. “We already know that now. So the timeline in terms of diagnostics was much shorter. We’re just confirming what we knew already. Secondly, his stroke this time was much smaller than it was last time.

“The symptoms have resolved a lot quicker than they did the last time as well. We know what to expect. The data has also evolved with how this will be treated.”

As he worked his way back to a full-go in practice, Letang did not have to disappear from the ice entirely.

He was at PPG Paints Arena a day after his stroke Nov. 29 when the Penguins played Carolina and since then has managed to get back in the swing of things, starting with some lighter solo skating.

Now, Letang will continue to remain in conversation with the Penguins’ medical staff to plot out the safest course possible for a return to the lineup.

“Mentally, I feel good to be back on the ice,” Letang said. “It’s always hard to be on the sideline. I know health comes first, and I’m really lucky to have the staff that we have. I’ve been with Dharmesh for almost a decade now. He’s been with me on the first (stroke), and I know he’s doing everything he can to make sure I’m safe and I can go back to what I do.

“We’re taking all the time we need to figure this thing out. When I feel ready to go out and practice, like I did today, he’s going to give me the green light.”