The stunning news yesterday coming from Pittsburgh took everybody by surprise. One of the most physically fit and nutrition conscious athletes in the NHL had suffered from a stroke. Kris Letang suffered a stroke while on the Penguins road trip out west. He had complained of dizziness and nausea.
Moving forward the Penguins medical staff will be monitoring Letang so that he is able to make a complete recovery from this episode of bad luck. Kris Letang will receive blood thinners as treatment and it is fully believed that he can and will make a full recovery.
This is an especially scary incident because it highlights just how fragile personal health can be. Kris Letang is a guy who has done anything and everything to be the healthiest person on the planet, yet he still had this kind of health scare. The culprit was not Letang’s lifestyle that much is certain. After being tested by the doctors, Letang does have a minor hole in the wall of his heart that has been with him since birth. This is usually a hole that fixes itself during the beginning stages of human development, in Letang’s case it did not close off.
Kris Letang wanted to make light of his condition publicly so that he could provide more awareness to other people:
"I hope that by making my condition public at this time, I can help other people by encouraging them to seek medical help if they experience some of the symptoms associated with a stroke – regardless of their age or general health. It obviously was a shock to get the news but I’m optimistic that I can overcome this and get back on the ice.…
It is a great thing that Letang is willing to be public and if he improves the quality of life of just one person it will be worth it.
The thought of playing hockey has become secondary for the Penguins organization. Here is GM Ray Shero:
“The most important thing right now, of course, is Kris’ health. We’re not thinking about hockey right now. We want to make sure he gets the best possible care and gets better. After six weeks of treatment, doctors will re-evaluate Kris.…
Letang will skate on his own during the Olympic break.
Former Patriot Teddy Bruschi also suffered a stroke while in the middle of his playing career. He was able to get treatment and play 4 more seasons. He was 31 at the time of the stroke. Like Letang a small hole was found on his heart wall.
Our former outstanding Penguins writer for Hockeybuzz John Toperzer is also a stroke survivor and this is certainly an issue that hits close to home for him. He has written a very nice open letter to Kris Letang about his own personal experience. He also explains some of the medical details about a stroke.
@Letang_58 Kris, here's my advice to you as a fellow stroke survivor. God Bless! http://t.co/HzJQL9gU1A
— John Toperzer (@JohnToperzer) February 8, 2014Thanks for all the kind messages. Means a lot to me and my family #bestfans
— Kristopher Letang (@Letang_58) February 8, 2014****
The Penguins lost to the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout last night. It was the Penguins last game until after the Olympic break.
The game result was inconsequential for the Penguins; the biggest victory was getting out of that game with no major injuries.
Olli Maatta continues to grow more comfortable each and every game. He made a great play with his mind on his first career power play goal. He read the play and smartly attacked the back door area with minimal risk. He also made a great physical play in winning a puck battle along the wall in the offensive zone. The end result was a centering pass which led to the James Neal tying goal.
Brian Gibbons, Jayson Megna, and Harry Zolnierczyk were all sent to WB/S today. This will save the Penguins around 250k in cap space an allow those players to keep playing. Harry Z will have to clear waivers and there is a chance he will get claimed.
Yesterday Russia put on their opening ceremony to the Olympic games. The culmination of the ceremony was Vladislav Tretiak and Irina Rodnina lighting the Olympic cauldron. What has flown under the radar is the fact that favorite Pittsburgh Penguins mom, Natalia Malkin, was also a torch bearer for the Olympic Games. Evgeni asked his mother if she would like to be part of that process and she of course said yes.
You can read about the details of her torch bearing experience in a very nice article by Dmitry Chesnokov. That article can be found here.
Here is a proud Malkin family after Evgeni's Mom Natalia Malkin completed her task as an Olympic torch bearer pic.twitter.com/sSwwXMqg2I
— Ryan Wilson (@GunnerStaal) February 8, 2014Best of luck to the Olympians that are set to represent their countries in Sochi, especially the Americans.
The Olympic hockey tournament with NHL players is the best two week stretch in all of hockey. It will be great to watch the action unfold.
Good luck to all of the @penguins players and coaches heading to Sochi to participate in the Winter Olympics! #Sochi2014
— Mario Lemieux (@MarioLemieuxFdn) February 8, 2014Thanks for reading!