What is Kris Letang's net worth and salary?
Kris Letang is a Canadian professional hockey player who has a net worth of $50 million. Kris Letang was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in April 1987. He is a defenseman who first played for the Val-d'Or Foreurs in the QMJHL. Letang was drafted #62 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2005 National Hockey League Draft. He has played for the Penguins his entire NHL career, since 2006. Letang also represents Canada in international competition and won Gold Medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships and a Silver Medal at the 2006 IIHF World U-18 Championships. Letang won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in the 2008-09 season and was voted an All-Star in 2011 and 2012 and was a Second Team All-Star in 2013. In 2013 he signed an eight year deal with the Penguins for $58 million. He has earned over $100 million in salary during his career.
Early Life
Kris Letang was born on April 24, 1987 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He began playing hockey as a young boy and showed promise in the sport from an early age. He played major junior hockey as a teenager for the Val-d'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for three seasons. After scoring 32 points in his junior rookie season, he was named to the All-Rookie Team. That summer, in 2005, he was drafted in the third round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Career
Letang made the Penguins right after training camp. He made his NHL debut with the team during the 2006-2007 season. He scored his first NHL goal in his third game, against Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers. However, after scoring only two goals in the next seven games, Letang was returned to Val-d'Or for further development. In 2007, he led Val-d'Or to the Finals with an impressive 31-point performance. He was then assigned to the Pittsburgh Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
After beginning the 2007-2008 season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Letang was quickly recalled by Pittsburgh to play again with the Penguins. He excelled in his rookie season with the team and was invited to the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game during All-Star weekend. He completed the season with 17 points in 63 games. He also helped the team make the Stanley Cup Finals, though they were ultimately defeated in six games by the Detroit Red Wings.
At the beginning of the 2008-2009 season, two of the Penguins' top defencemen were put into long-term injured reserve. This immediately increased Letang's responsibilities on the team given he played the same position. He played well throughout the season and scored his first NHL playoff goal in game three of the second round against the Washington Capitals in overtime. The Penguins ultimately defeated the Red Wings to clinch the 2009 Stanley Cup.
Letang did not score as many goals during the 2009-2010 season but he did have a more successful season in 2010-2011. He was voted in as a starter for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game and also helped the Penguins make it to the Stanley Cup, though they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team again made the play-offs in 2012, though they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers.
In 2013, Letang signed an eight-year contract with the Penguins valued at $58 million that went into effect during the 2014-2015 season. He had to take a break during that season due to health concerns but returned in 2015 and scored the Cup-winning goal in game six of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals against the San Jose Sharks. Letang continued to perform well on the Penguins in the following seasons.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
At the end of the 2021-2022 season, his eight-year deal concluded. He was poised to become a free agent but in July, he opted to sign a six-year extension with the Penguins. He missed some time on the ice during the 2022-2023 seasons due to health and personal issues but he returned to the ice in early 2023. He played his 1000th game with the Penguins in April 2023, becoming the third player in history to do so.
In addition to his career with the NHL, Letang has also played internationally on the Canadian National Team. He debuted internationally for Canada in his junior rookie season during the 2005 World U18 Championships in the Czech Republic. Letang scored four points in six games, helping Canada secure the silver medal after losing to the United States in the final. Over the next two years, Letang competed in the World Junior Championships, earning gold in 2006 and 2007. He was named to the tournament all-star team after the 2007 win.
Personal Life
In November 2012, Letang welcomed his first child, a son, with longtime girlfriend, Catherine Laflamme. The couple got married in July 2015 in Montreal. In December 2017, they announced they were expecting a second child. Their daughter was born in July 2018. Letang's wife appeared as a cast member on the third season of the Canadian reality series, "Hockey Wives."
In 2008, Letang lost one of his closest friends, Luc Bourdon, when Bourdon died in a motorcycle accident. The two had been junior teammates in earlier years and had become close friends. Prior to Bourdon's death, Letang had been considering purchasing a motorcycle of his own but then decided against it.
Letang has suffered a number of health issues throughout his career. In early 2014, he suffered a stroke which forced him to miss playing hockey for six weeks while he recovered. Early in the 2022-2023 season, he suffered a second stroke. It was announced he would be out of play indefinitely. Shortly afterward, his father died and his team traveled to Montreal to attend the wake. Letang returned to the ice only 12 days after his second stroke.
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