Kris Letang’s dad was found dead in Montreal. Due to his father’s death earlier in the day, Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins skipped the 2023 NHL Winter Classic.
Letang, who had been back at the club for less than a month after recovering from a stroke in late November, departed Boston in the morning for Montreal to be with his family.
What did Mike Sullivan Said?
Mike Sullivan, head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, said, “We want to offer our genuine and sincerest sympathies for him during this time.”
In front of a crowded Fenway Park, Pittsburgh lost the Winter Classic to the Boston Bruins by a 2-1.
The three-time Stanley Cup winner has 16 points in 29 games this season after suffering with injury and a stroke while missing time and playing.
Due to his ongoing lower-body injury, he was not anticipated to participate on Monday.
The second stroke of his career left the wife and two children at home, and after recuperating, he put things into perspective.
“No matter if I play hockey, my kids don’t care. They care if they have a dad”, said ten days after his stroke; Letang returned to the ice. “My wife had the same thing. Hockey and anything else don’t interest her at all. She’s aware that there’s a tonne more.”
Letang’s mother, Christiane, and 18-wheeler truck dealer Fouquet instilled in him a love of sports at a young age that would carry him to the NHL.
The blue liner, born in Montreal, has happy memories of his father giving him a jersey of his favorite athlete.
Letang admitted to NHL.com in 2020, “Pavel Bure was my favorite player growing up. “It was fun to see him. When my father visited Florida for business, I recall that he got me a Bure jersey.”
There are no other specifics about what transpired after Fouquet passed away or a schedule for Letang to rejoin the Penguins.
