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Kris Letang

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Kris Letang
Letang with the Penguins in 2017
Born (1987-04-24) April 24, 1987 (age 37)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL draft 62nd overall, 2005
Pittsburgh Penguins[1]
Playing career 2006–present

Kristopher Joseph Pierre Irwin Letang (born April 24, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played juniors in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for three seasons, during which time he was selected 62nd overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. In his second full NHL season, Letang won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, he became a two-time Stanley Cup champion when the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks in 2016, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion when the Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators in 2017. Internationally, he has competed for Canada at the under-18 and under-20 levels, winning back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championships in 2006 and 2007.

Playing career

Letang played major junior hockey for the Val-d'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for three seasons. After recording 32 points in his junior rookie season, he was named to the QMJHL and the CHL All-Rookie Team.[2] That summer, he was drafted in the third round, 62nd overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next season, a 68-point effort in just 60 games earned him QMJHL First Team All-Star honours.[2]

Making the Penguins out of training camp, Letang made his NHL debut in the 2006–07 season. He scored his first NHL goal in his third game, against Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers in a 6–5 win.[3] However, after two goals in seven games, Letang was scratched twice and then returned to Val-d'Or for further development.[4] Playing in his third season with Val-d'Or, he led the Foreurs to the 2007 QMJHL Finals with 31 points in the post-season, only to be swept by the Lewiston MAINEiacs in four games. Upon the Foreurs' elimination, he was assigned to the Pittsburgh Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who were in the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs,[5] and recorded an assist in his only game. At season's end, he was the recipient of three major QMJHL awards. In addition to receiving the Emile Bouchard Trophy as the QMJHL's best defenceman and the Paul Dumont Trophy as the best personality, Letang also received the Kevin Lowe Trophy, as the best defensive defenceman, indicative of Letang's abilities on both ends of the ice.

Professional

Letang with the Penguins in February 2008

Pittsburgh Penguins

After beginning the 2007–08 season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Letang was quickly recalled by Pittsburgh after recording seven points in ten games in the AHL. Letang excelled in his rookie season with Pittsburgh and was invited to the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game during All-Star weekend, alongside teammate Tyler Kennedy.[6] He completed the season with 17 points in 63 games, sixth among rookie defencemen. Making his Stanley Cup playoffs debut, Letang helped the Penguins to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated in six games by the Detroit Red Wings.

Entering the 2008–09 season, the Penguins' top two defencemen, Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, were both put on the long-term injured reserve, immediately increasing Letang's responsibilities on the team's blueline. He was placed on the Penguins top defensive pairing with Brooks Orpik, replacing Gonchar.[7] The increased playing time resulted in a 10-goal, 33-point season, leading all team defencemen.[8] During the season, Letang was also invited to his second NHL YoungStars Game during the 2009 All-Star weekend in his hometown of Montreal, playing for the Sophomores team.

After the Penguins eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, Letang scored his first career NHL playoff goal in game three of the second round against the Washington Capitals on May 6, 2009, in overtime.[9] Letang's playing status for the game had been uncertain due to a suspected shoulder injury resulting from a Mike Green hit received in Game 3.[10] Nevertheless, his game-winning goal cut the Capitals' series lead to 2–1, helping Pittsburgh overcome the initial 2–0 series deficit and win in seven games. Advancing to the Finals, they met the Red Wings for the second consecutive year. Letang scored one goal in the series, in Game 3, helping the Penguins defeat the Red Wings in seven games. They won the Stanley Cup on June 12, 2009, winning the deciding game 2–1 at the Joe Louis Arena. Letang finished the post-season with 4 goals and 13 points over 23 games.

The following season, Letang recorded a career-low three goals to go with 24 assists. Late in the regular season, Letang signed a four-year contract extension through to the 2013–14 season on March 30, 2010, worth an annual salary of $3.5 million. Entering the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs as defending champions, the Penguins were eliminated in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens. Letang surpassed his regular season goals total with 5 tallies in 13 post-season games, along with two assists for seven points.

Letang competing in the fastest skater event for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game

With the departure of the Penguins' top defenceman, Sergei Gonchar, the following summer, Letang assumed a larger role with the club in 2010–11. Enjoying a career year, he was voted in as a starter for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. With a career-high 50 points (eight goals and 42 assists), Letang finished the season as the second-highest scorer for the Penguins, behind Sidney Crosby. His efforts helped the Penguins to the fourth-best record in the NHL with 49 wins and 106 points despite long-term injuries to the team's top three centres – Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Matching up against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, Pittsburgh lost the series in seven games; Letang had four assists.

On January 23, 2012, Letang made the NHL 2012 All-Star roster as an injury replacement for Dustin Byfuglien, joining teammates Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. In their first round loss to the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers, Letang scored one goal and had two assists [11] while earning a game misconduct in Game 3 for fighting Kimmo Timonen.

On July 2, 2013, Letang signed an eight-year contract with Pittsburgh valued at $58 million that went into effect in the 2014–15 season. Letang played in 34 games in the 2013–14 season before it was announced he would miss six weeks after suffering a stroke.[12] On March 16, 2014, Dan Bylsma, then-head coach of the Penguins, announced Letang was cleared by doctors to return to full practice.[13]

Letang (right foreground) celebrates with Jake Guentzel and Nick Bonino after the Penguins won the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals

In the 2015–16 season, Letang was named to play for the Metropolitan Division team in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. He scored the Cup-winning goal in game six of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, against Martin Jones of the San Jose Sharks. He became just the fourth player in NHL history to record a point on all four game-winning goals in the Stanley Cup Finals. He finished fourth in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman, and was named to the end of season second all-star team.[14]

In the 2016–17 season, Letang required neck surgery due to a herniated disk in his neck and did not play in the playoffs.[15] Despite this, his name was added to the Stanley Cup and he received a day with the Cup as well.[16]

On October 6, 2018, in a 5–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Letang recorded his 441st assist, setting a new Penguins franchise record for most points by a defenceman.[17] On February 11, 2019, in a 4–1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, Letang passed Paul Coffey for most goals by a Penguins defenceman.[18]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Sweden
Gold medal – first place 2006 Canada
IIHF World U18 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2005 Czech Republic

Letang debuted internationally for Canada in his junior rookie season during the 2005 World U18 Championships in the Czech Republic. Letang scored four points in six games in a silver medal effort, losing to the United States in the final.

The next two years, Letang competed in the World Junior Championships, earning gold in 2006 and 2007, as part of a five-year Canadian championship run. He won the first gold medal with Canada in Vancouver as the host country, then returned the next year in Sweden to score six points in six games as team captain.[2] Letang was named to the tournament All-Star Team, along with national teammates Carey Price and Jonathan Toews.

Personal life

Letang lost one of his closest friends, Luc Bourdon, who was a defensive prospect for the Vancouver Canucks, when he died in a motorcycle accident on May 29, 2008. Letang was at the time playing in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings. He and Bourdon had been teammates in junior with the Val-d'Or Foreurs and the Canadian junior team. He had been planning on buying a motorcycle but decided against it following the death of Bourdon.[19]

Letang and his then long-term girlfriend, Catherine Laflamme, had a son born in November 2012.[20] The couple wed on July 18, 2015, in Montreal.[21] On December 20, 2017, the couple announced on Instagram they were expecting a second child.[22] Their daughter was born in July 2018.[23] His wife was a cast member on the third season of the Canadian reality series Hockey Wives.[24]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Val-d'Or Foreurs QMJHL 70 13 19 32 79 — — — — —
2005–06 Val-d'Or Foreurs QMJHL 60 25 43 68 156 5 1 5 6 20
2006–07 Val-d'Or Foreurs QMJHL 40 14 38 52 74 19 12 19 31 48
2006–07 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 7 2 0 2 4 — — — — —
2006–07 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL — — — — — 1 0 1 1 2
2007–08 Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins AHL 10 1 6 7 4 — — — — —
2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 63 6 11 17 23 16 0 2 2 12
2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 74 10 23 33 24 23 4 9 13 26
2009–10 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 73 3 24 27 51 13 5 2 7 6
2010–11 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 8 42 50 101 7 0 4 4 10
2011–12 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 51 10 32 42 34 6 1 4 5 21
2012–13 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 35 5 33 38 16 15 3 13 16 8
2013–14 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 37 11 11 22 16 13 2 4 6 14
2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 69 11 43 54 79 — — — — —
2015–16 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 71 16 51 67 66 23 3 12 15 22
2016–17 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 41 5 29 34 32 — — — — —
2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 9 42 51 56 12 3 8 11 15
2018–19 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 65 16 40 56 48 4 0 1 1 2
2019–20 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 61 15 29 44 38
NHL totals 808 127 410 537 580 132 21 59 80 136

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2005 Canada U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 2 2 4 20
2006 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 1 2 3 2
2007 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 0 6 6 12
Junior totals 18 3 10 13 36

Awards

Letang after winning his third Stanley Cup as a member of the Penguins in 2017.

NHL

National Hockey League
Award Year
NHL YoungStars Game 2008, 2009
Stanley Cup champion 2009, 2016, 2017
NHL All-Star Game 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020
NHL Second Team All-Star 2013, 2016

Pittsburgh Penguins team awards

Letang receiving the Michel Brière Rookie of the Year Award in April 2008
Penguins Team Awards
Award Year
Michel Brière Rookie of the Year Award 2008
Pittsburgh Penguins' Defensive Player of the Year 2015, 2016

IIHF

International
Award Year
World Junior (Gold Medal) 2006, 2007
World Junior Ice Hockey Championships All-Star Team 2007

Major Junior

Major Junior
Award Year
QMJHL All-Rookie Team in 2005
CHL All Rookie Team 2005
QMJHL First All-Star Team in 2006 and 2007
Emile Bouchard Trophy (best defenceman) 2007
Kevin Lowe Trophy (best defensive defenceman) 2007
Paul Dumont Trophy (QMJHL best personality) 2007

References

  1. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". National Hockey League.
  2. ^ a b c "Kris Letang". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  3. ^ "Crosby scores in closing seconds to give Pittsburgh 6–5 win". International Herald Tribune. October 12, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  4. ^ "Staal staying with Penguins". Sporting News. October 30, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  5. ^ "Baby Penguins pick up Letang". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 10, 2007. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  6. ^ Anderson, Shelly (January 16, 2008). "Letang, Kennedy selected to play in YoungStars game". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  7. ^ "Heavier load for Letang". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  8. ^ "2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins [NHL]". Hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  9. ^ "Caps tie late but Letang rescues Penguins in OT to cut series lead to 2–1". ESPN. May 6, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  10. ^ Molinari, Dave (May 6, 2009). "Letang's OT goal gives Pens 3–2 win". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  11. ^ Kris Letang 2012 Game Log, Playoffs. Pro-Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013-June-10.
  12. ^ "Penguins announce Letang out six weeks after stroke". TSN.ca. February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  13. ^ Penguins, Pittsburgh. "Letang, Bennett Will Return to Practice Monday". Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  14. ^ Orpik, Hooks (June 22, 2016). "2016 NHL Awards Recap: Cup champs take to Vegas". pensburgh.com. SB Nation. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  15. ^ Crosby, Wes (May 30, 2017). "Kris Letang of Penguins recovering 'really well' from neck surgery". NHL.com. NHL. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Letang takes Stanley Cup to Quebec hospital". NHL.com. NHL. July 23, 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  17. ^ Crechiolo, Michelle (October 6, 2018). "Letang reflects on career after setting franchise record". NHL.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  18. ^ Bombulie, Jonathan (February 11, 2019). "Penguins get much-needed win against rival Flyers". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved February 12, 2019. Kris Letang added an empty netter with 12.2 seconds left. It gave Letang sole possession of the team record for goals by a defenseman, set at 108 by Paul Coffey.
  19. ^ "Penguins' Letang loses best friend in Bourdon". TSN. May 30, 2008. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  20. ^ Basu, Arpon (August 5, 2016). "Kris Letang appreciates every second with Cup". NHL.com. NHL. Retrieved 7 December 2017. most notably his 3-year-old son Alexander, who ate his morning cereal and croissants out of the Cup
  21. ^ "KRIS LETANG IS OFFICIALLY THE FATHER OF A BOY NAMED ALEXANDER". 25stanley. August 11, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  22. ^ Rosenberg, Matt (December 21, 2017). "Penguins' Kris Letang, wife Catherine Laflamme expecting 2nd child". triblive.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  23. ^ Gentille, Sean (July 9, 2018). "Kris Letang and Catherine Laflamme share photos of their new daughter". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  24. ^ "Wife Of Penguins' Defenseman Kris Letang To Appear On 'Hockey Wives'". pittsburgh.cbslocal.com. March 21, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
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