Penguins defenseman Letang returning to lineup
Defenseman Kris Letang will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2).
'Kris has been cleared almost for a few weeks now to be back practicing with us with contact,' Penguins general manager Ray Shero said. 'The doctors had left it up to him when he felt he was ready to play and come back. Kris has been bugging me for a little while here to return to play. I talked to him on the road trip, talked to him again [Tuesday]. He feels real good on and off the ice, so he'll be back playing this evening.
'I'm excited for him because I think the main thing is health-wise he feels good and everything is trending in the right direction for him short term and long term.'
Letang has been out since he had a stroke Jan. 29. Further testing revealed a small hole in his heart that had been there since birth but Shero said no cause for the stroke has been determined. He also said Letang and the club have been assured that returning to hockey does not put Letang in danger of another stroke.
'Hockey did not cause the stroke,' Shero said. 'Returning to play will not cause this stroke. Playing [Wednesday] versus waiting until October or 10 years from now is not going to change that. Resting and playing Xbox is not going to make him better. ... To return to play ice hockey, he's at no further risk to suffer a stroke than he would be going to the grocery store.'
The 26-year-old had been on blood thinners since he had the stroke but had been taken off them when he returned to practice March 17. At that point Letang said his goal was to return at some point this season. And with the assurances of his medical team, he feels confident enough to step back into the lineup.
'We made sure with the doctors that I'm not running a risk going out there [and playing],' he said. 'My family is scared but they understand the situation. Doctors talked to them to assure them.
'I'm nervous because I haven't played in a while, but about my situation, not at all.'
Letang was a Norris Trophy finalist last season, but this season he has 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games. He missed the first nine games of the season with a lower-body injury, and another 26 after the stroke.
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