Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kristopher Letang has suffered a second stroke and will be sidelined indefinitely as a result.
General manager Ron Hextall confirmed on Tuesday that the 35-year-old veteran suffered a stroke on Monday. Letang was dropped from the starting lineup shortly before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes, which ended in a 3-2 overtime loss for Pennsylvania. The team had refused to reveal the nature of his absence.
The team mentioned that Letang was not feeling “prolonged effects” from the stroke and was undergoing a battery of medical tests.
Kris Letang is out indefinitely after suffering a stroke on Monday.
Letang is not experiencing any lasting effects of the stroke and will continue to undergo a series of tests over the next week. https://t.co/dQeKuhrBH2
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 30, 2022
This is Letang’s second stroke in 17 NHL seasons. The three-time Stanley Cup champion missed more than two months of activity in 2014 after suffering a stroke, which doctors say was caused by a small hole in the wall of his heart.
Hextall added that Letang reported experiencing symptoms to the Penguins medical team on Monday, and was then taken to hospital for a series of tests. Hextall also indicated that Letang’s medical condition is not life threatening.
Letang, who has appeared in six career All-Star Games, is among the most resilient players at his position in the NHL. He had averaged more than 25 minutes per game since suffering his first stroke eight years ago.
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