The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #58 in Penguins’ history.
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We’re not going to waste any time with this one. One player has worn #58, and even if there were more, he would’ve earned this distinction.
The best and only #58 in franchise history is Kris Letang.
Kris Letang was drafted by the Penguins in the third round of the 2005 NHL Draft – the same draft as teammate Sidney Crosby – and he has spent each of his 19 seasons in Pittsburgh.
In that time, the offensive-oriented defenseman has piled up several milestones and franchise records. He is the Penguins’ all-time leader among defensemen in points (745), games played (1,097), power play points (275), overtime goals (11) and game-winning goals (34).
In addition, he is the franchise leader in playoff points among defensemen with 90, including 23 goals. One of his most monumental was the game-winning, Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 of the 2016 Final against the San Jose Sharks.
He also scored a huge goal en route to the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup, which came in the form of an overtime game-winner in the second round during Game 3 against the Washington Capitals:
Throughout his career, Letang has been known for his smooth skating, his ability to dodge and elude pressuring players, and his outstanding one-on-one defensive skills. He has also been a staple for the Penguins in their shootout lineup because of his soft hands, deception, and good backhand shot.
But, perhaps above all, his perserverance has been something to marvel at. Letang has suffered two strokes during his NHL career, as well as a neck injury, with his second stroke occuring in November 2022. He also lost his father a month later and spent most of the month of January away from the team attending to both his mental health and an ankle injury.
He ended up winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 2022-23 season.
In his 19th NHL season, the 37-year-old Letang currently has two goals and three points in 10 games. He, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin are the longest-tenured trio in major professional sports to play together on the same team.
He signed a six-year contract extension in the summer of 2022 to, hopefully, play in Pittsburgh for the remainder of his NHL career.
