The Pittsburgh Penguins ended a six-game losing streak with a 4-1 win Sunday vs. the Arizona Coyotes but didn’t immediately return home following that victory.
As The Athletic’s Josh Yohe first reported, the Penguins flew overnight from Phoenix to Montreal to attend the funeral for the father of defenseman Kris Letang on Monday. Letang has been away from the Penguins since before the Winter Classic and hasn’t yet played in 2023.
According to Yohe, head coach Mike Sullivan along with veterans on the Pittsburgh roster were among those who “spearheaded” the decision to travel to Montreal ahead of Tuesday’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks.
“He’s been in this organization for a long time, so I think it was the least we can do to bring it back for everything he did for us and everything he’s still doing for us,” Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph said of Letang, per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “So I think it was a no-brainer for us, and we were all happy to be there for him.”
Letang made his NHL debut during the 2006–07 season and has played only for the Penguins at the highest level. The 35-year-old signed a six-year extension worth $36.6 million to stay with Pittsburgh this past summer.
“We were able to work out some of the challenges,” Sullivan explained about the team’s travel arrangements. “There were a fair amount of them, but we all felt strongly it was important to support Tanger through such a difficult time.”
Letang missed playing time during the fall when he suffered the second stroke of his life in late November. As noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), he returned to action 12 days later.
The Penguins have honored Claude Fouquet, Letang’s father, by wearing a special helmet decal this month but clearly wanted to do more. It’s unclear when Letang may return to the club.
