Off-season training is probably tedious at times ... maybe even more tedious than the hockey-free months of the summer. Perhaps that explains why athletes love to mix things up, even if it means bringing in stars from other sports (and even if that calls for an embarrassing moment or two).
Kris Letang provided some background information surrounding that “ankle breaking” moment with former NFL star receive Terrell Owens during an NHL Network interview, which was transcribed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Josh Mackey. Letang also noted that others were faked out to an even greater degree.
The most important stuff, really, comes from what he looks to gain from these workouts ... and also how close Letang might be to full-strength.
“I’m trying to get better all the time,” Letang said. “I think I found that I can improve my footwork.
“We have that at the gym twice a week. We have a sprinting coach. ‘TO’ has been working out with us. He’s an unbelievable guy to be around. He’s teaching us a lot of little things.”
Later on, Letang stated that ‘we’re on the path to starting training camp and being fully healthy,” according to Mackey’s transcription.
That sounds great, though that doesn’t sound like an outright guarantee that he’ll be ready by September. If nothing else, the Penguins and their star defenseman are used to this kind of thing.
Now, in case you missed it in the Morning Skate, here’s that bit of schooling from Owens:
When @terrellowens breaks you ankles pic.twitter.com/1oySzEtXLR
— Kristopher Letang (@Letang_58) July 25, 2017
And here’s “the proof” that Letang wasn’t alone in getting beat:
#TheProof I'm not the only one to get schooled by @terrellowens there you go @NHLNetwork . Tomorrow I get a second chance #ToBeContinued pic.twitter.com/Em9NGBKzeo
— Kristopher Letang (@Letang_58) July 27, 2017
Now to solve the mystery of the other fakee ...