Pittsburgh Penguins star Kris Letang was back with a bang on Tuesday night, as his goal settled a thrilling 7-6 overtime win against the Florida Panthers in his first game back after the tragic death of his father.
It was Letang's first game of 2023 as he returned from a long-term lower-body injury he sustained in December, and he's already missed game time after suffering a stroke in November. But Letang returned to the side and made quite the impact, scoring two goals and recording two assists on the night.
Despite missing considerable game time, Letang is the leading defensive scorer for the Penguins, and his winning goal in overtime capped a remarkable return to the ice. It's his 17th season with the Penguins, but easily one of the most difficult he will ever play.
It was a crazy game at PPG Paints Arena, with the Penguins and the Panthers matching one another stride for stride throughout. Every single period became tied up respectively, until Letang's winner in overtime finally settled the scores.
Letang had the joint-most shots out of anyone on the ice, and it's clear to see that will and determination is fuelling him this season. And that's no surprise judging by what he's had to endure so far.
The 35-year-old suffered the second stroke of his career in November, although thankfully he made a quick recovery and returned to the action. Letang was absent as the Penguins lost to Carolina Hurricanes in overtime on November 29 due to 'illness', but medical teams very quickly realised the extent of his issues.
Letang spoke out about the "scary" experience, but before he could get back into his groove he suffered a lower-body injury, and was out for almost a month. Then, 2023 started off with devastating news, as his father passed away earlier this month.
The Penguins are a close side, and the entire team altered travel plans so that they could attend the funeral of Letang's father in Montreal. That clearly meant a lot to Letang, and you could see the extent of their team spirit as he fired in the overtime winner on Tuesday.
"It’s kind of surreal. I didn’t know what to think or how it was going to go," Letang said of his return. "These guys supported me for the last month and it’s just great to be back."
And head coach Mike Sullivan was delighted for his star defenceman, while saying the whole team 'live through it with him'. "Couldn’t be happier for Tanger with everything that he’s been through here over the last little while," Sullivan said.
"To come back and have the night that he had, I think that was an emotional night for him and for the whole team for that matter, because we’re all living through it with him. I think everybody was ecstatic to get Tanger back in the line-up. You obviously see the impact that he has on our team."
