Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang got on the scoresheet for the first time since returning to the line-up since suffering a stroke.
It was an emotional night for Letang, who registered two points in a 4-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday, proving his incredible athleticism after suffering a stroke on November 28. Letang was ruled out indefinitely after suffering symptoms of a stroke, the second he's experienced in his NHL career.
But Letang immediately began his recovery and after returning to practice, he triumphantly came back to the NHL on December 10. He netted his first goal since making a miraculous comeback on Thursday night, and he already feels back to his best.
After Ryan Lomberg opened the scoring for the Panthers, Letang fired back with a shorthanded goal before Jake Guentzel put the Penguins ahead. Evgeni Malkin grabbed a third before Guentzel kept restored their two-goal lead after Sam Reinhart pulled one back.
Letang has been a warrior for the Penguins over the years, winning three Stanley Cups since being drafted in 2005. Now, 965 games later, he's seen it all at the Penguins, including some of the darker times.
The 35-year-old suffered his second career stroke in November after his first incident in 2014, with team officials concerned for his fitness moving forward. But Letang remained 'optimistic', and after Thursday's game he said: "Especially the first game, me and [associate coach Todd Reirden] were talking just to see how I feel.
"But once you settle into games and practices, your conditioning goes up and I can go back to the minutes I play." Not only did Letang return to scoring action, he spent more time on the ice than the rest of his Penguins team-mates, proving his incredible endurance.
It may be all smiles now, but Letang did open up on the 'scary' experience before returning to the NHL, admitting his wife and kids didn't care if he returned to hockey. "My kids, they don't care if I'm a hockey player or not," he said.
"They care about having a dad. Same with my wife. She could care less about hockey. She knows 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, with your kids."
Letang married wife Catherine Laflamme after his first incident in 2014, when he was out for two months. Tests revealed back then that he was born with a very small hole in the wall of his heart, which typically closes on its own in most cases.
It's an issue that Letang has gone on to raise awareness about, and amazingly he won two more Stanley Cup's with the Penguins after his first stroke. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has called Letang a "fitness freak" in the past, and has since said that nothing will ever stop him from getting back out on the ice.
