Canadian Chris Lethang is a hockey player who has been a part of the Pittsburgh Penguins for most of his career. Having played for the NHL team for almost 10 years, the defender has never once questioned his importance for the club, even during difficult periods in his personal life.
Appearance on hockey ice
Chris Lethang began his career at Val d'Or Forors, for which he played for three seasons. The skill of the young defender, who scored 32 points in 70 matches in the first junior hockey league of Quebec in the first season, was evaluated by a number of major NHL clubs, as well as the youth team of Canada, where the player received a call. The second season for Chris was even more fruitful - for 60 games the hockey player scored 68 points and was invited to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the beginning of the 2006/07 season. However, the young player did not have a debut in the NHL - he scored two goals in 7 matches, after which the coaching staff sent Letang back to juniors for another season.
Parish at the Pittsburgh Penguins
In the 2007/08 season, Chris Lethang once again found himself at the heart of Pittsburgh, starting his long journey with the Penguins. In an incomplete season, the Canadian immediately joined the team and in the first year became the winner in the Atlantic division, and also reached the Stanley Cup final, where in a bitter struggle, “Detroit Red Wings” outplayed his opponent. In total, within the championship and playoffs, Chris played in 79 meetings, marking 19 points.
A year later, the successful history of the hockey player repeated - in the framework of the regular championship, “penguins” turned out to be the second, but were able to win the Stanley Cup, this time breaking the resistance of “Detroit”. Letang went to the ice in almost all meetings and, following the results of 97 games, showed incredible performance for the defender - 14 goals and 32 assists.
In March 2010, Chris Lethang signed a new contract with the club for a period of 4 years. Having received positive emotions from this, in the framework of the 2010/11 championship, the Canadian showed a fantastic game, gaining 50 points, of which 42 points accounted for assists. However, despite the high performance of the defender, “Pittsburgh” made not the best way d playoffs, which many explained the fatigue of previous seasons.
The 2013/14 championship ended for the player quite dramatically. In January 2014, at the age of 26, the player suffered a blow - his wife, Katherine, woke up and saw her husband standing motionless on the floor in the bedroom, but neither she nor Chris could immediately understand the reason for this event. The answer was only the result of tests that showed a stroke. After taking several months to recover, already in the next season, Letang returned to the ice, continuing to demonstrate his incredible game to the fans.
Despite a successful return, in May, as part of the playoffs, Chris's black streak continued - in a protracted series against the Rangers, the player completed the last match with broken arms and legs, but did not leave the team at a difficult moment. After recovering from his injuries, Chris Lethang returned to Pittsburgh and in 2016 added a second Stanley Cup to his piggy bank. Now he is chasing another trophy as part of the “penguins”.
Personal life
Despite regular hockey and training, Chris Lethang has a happy family. His wife - Katherine Laflemm, some time starred in a reality show. Chris and Katherine officially got engaged in the summer of 2015, and earlier, in 2012, the couple had their firstborn. The son was called Alexander. Despite his young age, the boy was already carried away by hockey, imitating his father.