Kris Letang writes latest chapter in 50-year history of Penguins All-Star defensemen

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang received a notable honor Monday when he was named captain of the Metropolitan Division for the NHL’s All-Star Game exhibition later this month at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

Letang will replace Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, who opted out of the event — which includes a skills competition and a three-on-three tournament between the league’s four divisions — in order to get rest.

“It’s fun to get some recognition for what I’ve done in the past,” Letang said. “Being to the All-Star Game a few times, it’s cool.”

Letang was selected to the game as an injury replacement for Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, sidelined until at least April because of a right shoulder injury.

It marked the sixth time Letang has been selected to an All-Star game, the most by a defenseman in franchise history. He previously shared the mark of five selections with Hockey Hall-of-Famer Paul Coffey.

In all, the Penguins have had nine defensemen selected to an All-Star Game or tournament in their 50-plus years of existence.

Bob Woytowich — 1970

Woytowich was so popular in Pittsburgh because of his sturdy play as well as his Polish heritage that he had a fan club that sat in the upper reaches of the Civic Arena called the “Polish Army.” On the ice, Woytowich was the first defenseman in franchise history selected for an All-Star game. In the 1970 contest at St. Louis Arena, Woytowich had a secondary assist for the West Division’s only goal, scored by Penguins forward Dean Prentice, in a 4-1 loss to the East Division.

Dave Burrows — 1974, ’76

Considered by many to be the greatest defensive player in franchise history, Burrows was a two-time all-star through a combination of relentless defensive play and the fact every team, even the lackluster Penguins of the 1970s, had to have a player selected. Burrows failed to record a point in either the 1974 game at Chicago Stadium for the Western Conference or the 1976 game at the Spectrum in Philadelphia for the Wales Conference.

Ron Stackhouse — 1980

A target of ridicule by Penguins fans — who altered his surname to “Stinkhouse” — for his perceived lack of tough, physical play, Stackhouse was a puck-moving defenseman before that idiom became commonplace. During the 1980 contest, Stackhouse scored a tying goal for the Wales Conference in a 6-3 victory at Detroit’s new Joe Louis Arena.

Randy Carlyle — 1981, ’82

Carlyle won the James Norris Trophy, which recognizes the NHL’s top defenseman, in 1981. He remains the only player in franchise history to claim that award. He book-ended that honor with selections to the Wales Conferences squads in 1981 at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and 1982 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. He was limited to an assist in the 1982 contest.

Paul Coffey — 1988, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92

The most prolific defenseman in franchise history until Letang overtook him in virtually every statistical category of note, Coffey arrived from the Edmonton Oilers via trade in November of 1987 and was selected to the 1988 All-Star Game a few months later at St. Louis Arena. Coffey again was selected for the Wales Conference squad for the 1989 contest held at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta.

Coffey’s third All-Star Game as a member of the Penguins saw him record two assists at the Civic Arena in 1990. The future Hockey Hall of Famer failed to record any points in the 1991 game at Chicago Stadium or the 1992 contest at the Spectrum.

Larry Murphy — 1994

Another future Hockey Hall-of-Famer, Murphy’s lone All-Star Game with the Penguins came in 1994 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, one season after he finished third in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. Credited for creating a clearing tactic that avoids icing the puck commonly referred to as “The Murphy Dump,” he failed to record a point in that contest.

Kevin Hatcher — 1997

It’s not often you get an All-Star in a transaction and lose the trade. But that’s the general consensus of the Penguins’ ill-fated deal in the 1996 offseason that saw them trade away future Hockey Hall of Famer Sergei Zubov for Hatcher, a good but not great defenseman. In his first season with the Penguins, Hatcher put up 54 points and was selected to the 1997 All-Star Game in San Jose (Calif.) Arena. He failed to record a point for the Eastern Conference.

Sergei Gonchar — 2008

Eleven years went by before the Penguins had another defensemen selected for the contest. Gonchar, who joined the Penguins as one of the biggest free-agent signings in history during the 2005 offseason, provided veteran stability for a franchise rebuilding with teenagers such as Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin, a player Gonchar mentors to this day. Gonchar was held without a point for the Eastern Conference in the 2008 contest at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Kris Letang — 2011, ’12, ’16, ’18, ’19, ’20

All-Star Games began taking on different formats by the time Letang started participating in them. For his first game in 2011 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., he was drafted to a team captained by Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal and scored two goals. The 2012 contest at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa saw him get selected by Ottawa Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson and record an assist.

Letang’s three most recent games have taken place under the current format of four teams from the league’s four divisions.

In 2016, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Letang had a goal and an assist for the Metropolitan Division. And in 2018 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Letang again scored a goal.

His performance in the 2019 event at SAP Center in San Jose was one of the best in franchise history. He scored two goals and had three assists in two games for the Metropolitan Division, which won the tournament.

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