Sullivan: Letang had brief skate, not cleared beyond that

A day after the news that Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang suffered a stroke on Monday, head coach Mike Sullivan provided an update, noting that Letang has not been cleared for anything hockey specific.

The head coach said Letang got approval to "go for a twirl" on the ice, stating the skate was "more for his own mental health than anything."

"So (Letang) is active. He continues to go through some testing. But he’s being closely monitored by our team of doctors that are advising him every day, and advising us every day. Obviously, we will err on the side of caution with this one," said Sullivan.

The 35-year-old from Montreal, Que., missed over two months of the 2014 season due to a stroke. At the time, testing reveal that he was born with a very small hole in the wall of his heart. He has played 543 regular season games and 69 playoff games since his initial stroke.

Sullivan also discussed the emotional impact Letang has left on the team. 

"I think they're all encouraged by his progress and where he is right now with respect to this stuff. Tanger’s had a real positive, upbeat outlook, and I think that helps the group as well," Sullivan said. 

Letang has one goal and 12 points in 21 games this season. In 17 seasons, all with the Penguins, Letang has scored 145 goals and added 517 assists in 962 regular season games. He is the franchise's all-time leader among defencemen in regular season and playoff games played, goals, assists and points.