Penguins Letang Suffers Stroke, Out At Least Six Weeks
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Friday that Kris Letang one of their defensemen will miss six weeks or more of action after suffering a stroke.
The condition of Letang is not thought to be threatening to his career and is treatable through blood thinners. Letang had tests performed and they revealed he has had a tiny hole in his heart’s wall since birth.
This defect occurs in all babies prior to birth, but seals shut in the majority of people. According to the press release from the Penguins, the hole could have led to the stroke Letang suffered.
With the National Hockey League starting its hiatus for the Sochi Olympics on Sunday, the news of Letang’s health sent shock waves through the sport.
Ray Shero the General Manager for Pittsburgh said that Letang had suffered a brief period of nausea and dizziness last week. He did not play in the January 30 game versus Los Angeles.
After continuing to feel sick, tests conducted last Saturday in Phoenix gave the first indication that he had suffered a stroke. More testing was performed upon Letang’s return to Pittsburgh and he has gone through a number of others since.
After a period of six weeks, doctors will re-evaluate Letang in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh players were shocked to hear the news following the team’s 4-3 loss in a shootout versus the New York Rangers on Friday night.
The first sign of problems for Letang came on January 29. He did not skate that day but did take part on January 30 in an option skate.
In his career, Letang has scored 54 goals and 173 assists in 419 games. His career +/- is 36.
Letang must take blood thinners for at least the next six weeks.
The Penguins held off making the announcement about Letang until Friday as the players was continuing to go through an entire battery of tests all day Thursday.
Coaches have been able to find out through doctors that the condition should not be career threatening for Letang.
The defenseman was a Norris Trophy finalist in 2013. This season he has scored 10 goals and 14 assists in 34 games. He missed the first 9 games of this season with an injury and 10 games during December with another unrelated injury.
Medical officials said Letang had been cleared to take a family vacation during hockey’s hiatus for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Following the hockey break, Letang will resume skating away from the team.
The Penguins are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 40-15-3 for 83 points. Pittsburgh has the third best record in the NHL behind just the Anaheim Duck and the Chicago Blackhawks.
The NHL will start play again following the Olympics on February 25 with one game on the schedule. On February 26, four games are scheduled and on February 27, a full lineup of games will be played.
