gold star for USAHOF

5. Kris Letang

5. Kris Letang

Kris Letang has to date spent his entire professional hockey career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the organization has to be thrilled with the return on their 2005 Third Round Pick.  

The Defenseman played a handful of games in 2007 and would make the roster on a full-time basis the following year and was a member of the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup Championship win.  Letang continued to improve, and in 2010/11, the native of Montreal had a breakout campaign with a 50 Point season, an All-Star Game appearance, and a sixth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting.

Now a bona fide playmaker from the blueline, Letang would earn All-Star accolades on four more occasions, and he was a two-time Second Team All-Star (2013 & 2014), both of which were years where he was a top-four finisher for the Norris.  Adding two more Stanley Cup Rings, Letang has not only made a case for being the greatest Defenseman in franchise history but also could be one who is on a Hall of Fame path.  He also proved his mettle when he came back from his second stroke in 2023 (he had his first in 2014), while simultaneously dealing with the loss of his father.  He would win the Bill Masterton Memorial Award as evidience of his determination to the game.  

To date, the six-time All-Star has eleven 40-plus Point seasons and seven top ten finishes for the Norris and has 742 Points with a Plus/Minus of +100 going into the 2024/25 Season.



The Bullet Points

  • Position: Defence
  • Acquired: Selected in the 3rd Round, 62nd Overall in the Amateur Draft 7/30/05.
  • Games Played: 941
  • Notable Statistics: 166 Goals
    576 Assists
    742 Points
    753 PIM
    0.68 PPG
    +100 Plus/Minus
    122.2 Point Shares

    149 Playoff Games
    23 Goals
    69 Assists
    90 Points
    142 PIM
    0.60 PPG
    0 Plus/Minus
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Stanley Cup Champion (2009, 2016 & 2017)
    Second Team All-Star (2013 & 2016)
    All-Star (2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019 & 2020)
    Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (2022-23

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