Ahead of the 2016 Championship Reunion on January 31, the Pittsburgh Penguins are reflecting on their journey to the Stanley Cup victory that year. Defenseman Kris Letang shared his memories of the final series against the San Jose Sharks, describing both the physical and mental challenges faced by the team.
After winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, the Penguins struggled to meet expectations in subsequent seasons. The arrival of head coach Mike Sullivan brought a shift in focus for the team. “Just play,” Sullivan told his players—a phrase later engraved on their championship rings.
Letang recalled lifting the trophy for a second time as an intense moment. “We were searching for it since ’09, and to get it done… the feeling, it was so weird. It’s like, my whole body finally, like, unplugged. It was the weirdest moment of my life, actually,” he said. “Everything was so tense, it was such a release.”
During that postseason run, Letang played significant minutes and contributed to defining the team’s fast-paced style. “That year, our game changed so much, and I thought we were such a fast team with a ton of pace,” he explained. “It was like, always pursuing the puck. It was not so much about always being pretty. It was the fact that we had so many guys that could skate, and our pace of game was so high that for teams, it was tough to handle it, I would say.”
In Game 1 of the finals against San Jose, Pittsburgh outshot their opponents 15-4 in the first period and secured an early lead. Letang assisted Nick Bonino’s late goal to win that game.
Game 2 saw Pittsburgh’s speed challenged by Sharks goaltender Martin Jones. The Penguins ultimately won in overtime after Sidney Crosby set up Conor Sheary for the decisive goal following an offensive-zone faceoff.
“Obviously, you start the Stanley Cup Final at home, you have the fans on your side. The momentum is so important,” Letang noted. “You’re so deep in the season, you’re grinding mentally, you’re beat up physically, also. So, to get those games right away, get the momentum on our side, was big. Always, to chip in with an assist, a goal, whatever – big play. It’s always important. Everybody’s important at this point of the year. It was cool to do so at home.”
After splitting two games on San Jose’s ice and returning home with a 3-1 series lead, anticipation grew among Pittsburgh fans ahead of Game 5 at PPG Paints Arena as over 20,000 people gathered outside hoping for a victory celebration.
Letang revealed he played through adversity during those playoffs: “That year, I had to spend time at the hospital before games because I had a foot infection,” he said. “Nobody knew. I was not going home for pregame. I would stay at the Marriott across the street, so I had the crowd right down there. It was pretty surreal. It’s just like when people talk about Pittsburgh; the first thing that comes to mind is the fans—the community—the people from here.”
Although they lost Game 5 at home despite their efforts—“It was sad but we were not defeated,” Letang said—Pittsburgh rebounded in Game 6.
His defense partner Brian Dumoulin scored early in Game 6 after not recording any goals during regular season play—a moment Letang appreciated: “In those types of games it’s always unsung heroes,” he said with a laugh.
Letang himself scored what became Pittsburgh’s championship-winning goal off a pass from Crosby: “We have so many goals together throughout our careers but that one was special,” Letang said.
Reflecting on what made that roster unique years later: “Yes we had Sid and Geno obviously—but everybody had a specific role—and they embraced it,” Letang stated.“I’m talking about Ben Lovejoy; I’m talking about Eric Fehr; Ian Cole… all those guys had roles that aren’t really typically seen by everybody—but everybody actually embraced it—and those guys wanted to go overboard to make that difference—it was special.”
