Kris Letang
Letang can play hockey. There’s no doubt about that. The thing is, like so many other Penguins, he can’t seem to respond to tough, physical play in kind.
Now it’s unfortunate that Letang has had some concussion problems in his career. We now know, however, that whiplash is a major cause of concussions. On that count, Letang certainly isn’t helping himself.
His first reaction to most problems is to dive. Those usually involve throwing his head back, or otherwise embarrassing total body flops. Occasionally you get even a double-effort, combining instinctive complaining to the referees with an obvious flop.
Wayne Simmonds knows his games.
And none of this even mentions his often absurd slashing or maybe a little headhunting on a vulnerable player after the puck is gone. Letang has been suspended and fined multiple times for these types of wonderful plays, making him a repeat offender.
When you consider all this, it’s a shame Pittsburgh fan favorite Scott Hartnell didn’t bite Letang harder that one time.
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