Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang wins Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Kris Letang won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Monday.
Letang was presented the award during the 2023 NHL Awards in Nashville. The award is given each year to a player that "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." He is the first Penguin to win the award since Mario Lemieux in 1993.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 27, 2023
That player is Kris Letang. pic.twitter.com/XGUvCr6xRE
In 2015, Letang was a finalist for the award but finished as a runner-up to Devan Dubnyk.
For the second time in his career, Letang suffered a stroke, which happened on Nov. 28, 2022. The 36-year-old defenseman missed five games and returned to the ice on Dec. 10, 2022.
The season would not get easier for Letang, who suffered a lower-body injury eight games later. While he was recovering, he received word that his father died. When Letang returned to the lineup on Jan. 24, he scored two goals and two assists for the first time since 2015, including the game-winning goal in overtime.