Nearly two months ago, defenseman Kris Letang stood in the media room at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and said he was confident that, despite him being ruled out for the postseason, the Penguins had everything they needed to make a run at another Stanley Cup.
Sure, Letang was going to say that. But it's nearly possible to repeat as champions in the salary cap era, right? And the idea of a team making a run without its top do-it-all defenseman was almost preposterous.
Tuesday afternoon, Letang was back in that media room, standing at the same podium.
Proven completely right.
"I was really confident the team could go all the way and win it again," Letang said after the Penguins' practice Tuesday. "When you have your leader like Sid (Crosby), you have Geno (Malkin), the core group is just unbelievable players, they care for each other. When you have those types of guys on your team, you know you have a chance.
"As for the people that were rolling their eyes, I don't know. You've all seen Sidney Crosby's demeanor, what he wants to accomplish. When you have a guy that you can look up to, I was confident to say that in front of a lot of people, and that's what's happening right now."
Letang underwent successful surgery April 13 to correct a herniated disc in his neck. His expected recovery time is four to six months, which would be right around when the Penguins start training camp for the 2017-18 season.
Letang said recovery has been going well. He recently began off-ice workouts and coyly said he has put his skates on a few times.
On the ice?
"Close," he said with a smile.
"I have a couple more weeks before I have another appointment. From there, I think I'll get cleared for everything again."
For now, Letang has assumed a pseudo-coaching role for the Penguins' playoff run. Coach Mike Sullivan said he approached Letang a few weeks back about helping out in that regard.
"He sits in on some of our coaches meetings that we have _ not all of them, but some of them _ and we certainly value his input," Sullivan said. "He has great relationships with his teammates, so I think he has the ability to have one-on-one conversations or group conversations with defense pairs, defenseman as a whole or the power play, whatever it may be."
The coaching staff may appreciate Letang staying involved from upstairs, but the same might not be said for his neighbors in the press box.
"I think when I'm sitting in the box up there, the people next to me don't really like me," Letang said. "I'm screaming. I don't work the best way by watching."
It may not be the most enjoyable experience for a player, but Letang said his new role has helped him see the game from a different, slower vantage point.
"You kind of realize things that you don't really see at the ice level," Letang said. "I think as a player, I'm going to learn a lot, too, watching in different situations. It's easy now to go down and tell those guys, 'Hey, this is open. You might not feel like it, but this is open.' "
The Penguins advancing to the Stanley Cup final has also made Letang's role as a spectator a bit easier. He wants to be out on the ice, but he's also happy to see long-time teammates Crosby, Malkin, Chris Kunitz and Marc-Andre Fleury closing in on their third Stanley Cup.
Letang said he and Crosby had some conversations last summer, after the Penguins' 2016 title, and Crosby made no secrets about his ambitions. That's part of the reason Letang was so confident last month when he believed in the Penguins' ability to repeat.
"He really wanted to get in shape right away to get back for the World Cup, win the World Cup," Letang said. "Then come back and say, 'Hey, we can win this again. We have a lot of young guys, a lot of energy.' That's everything."
And Letang has been a part of that effort, even if it hasn't been on the ice.
As part of his "coaching" duties, Letang has been announcing the Penguins' starting lineup before each game. It's a nice touch, even if all parties involved would rather have someone else reading his name.
"I know his teammates have so much respect for Tanger," Sullivan said. "We think it's important that he stay in the mix. He's another one of those guys that's just a great teammate. He cares so much about the Penguins and trying to help them win, whether he's in the lineup or not in the lineup. We wish we had him in the lineup, but in the absence of that, he's a great set of eyes for us."
