Owen Pickering was starstruck when he first encountered Kris Letang.
And for good reason.
It was at the NHL Draft in Montreal on July 7, 2022 and Pickering was just selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round with the 21st overall selection.
Anybody who would have been on stage at the Bell Centre reading out Pickering’s name would have dazzled the defensive prospect, then 18 years old.
It just happened to be Letang.
A few hours after he had signed a lucrative six-year contract extension, Penguins executives coaxed Letang out of his Montreal home to speak with reporters at the arena. In addition to that, they put the six-time All-Star defenseman to work right away by having him announce Pickering’s name in front of Letang’s fellow Quebecois.
“Best feeling in the world,” Pickering said that night. “It’s pretty cool, especially having Kris Letang announce it. Just kind of in awe.”
Roughly two and a half years later, Letang is still making an impression on Pickering. These days, it’s as a teammate.
Pickering made his NHL debut in mid-November and has leaned on Letang — occasionally his defensive partner — for anything and everything regarding their shared vocation.
“During the game, he’s teaching me,” Pickering said in Cranberry on Dec. 18. “I probably annoy him with questions. I’m always trying to pick his brain. That helps me.”
Helping a younger teammate, especially on the blue line, isn’t anything new for Letang. P.O Joseph was Letang’s apprentice for much of the previous four seasons.
After departing as a free agent this past summer, Joseph, 25, rejoined the Penguins via a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 18.
“Got back to (Letang’s) house (Dec. 22) and it felt good to be around him,” said Joseph, also a native of Quebec. “We spent the last couple of years together. Having him as a role model and an older brother kind of helped me. I’m just glad we’re reunited.”
Once upon a time, Letang was a 20-something trying to figure out life in the NHL. A third-round draft pick (No. 62 overall) of the Penguins in 2005, he leaned on older teammates on the blue line for guidance as well.
“Mark (Eaton) was great because I played with him (on a pairing), especially my first year,” said Letang, now 37. “But I would say Brooks Orpik had a tremendous influence off ice and how to treat your body. I just looked up to him a lot during those years I was coming up.”
That willingness to mentor the likes of Pickering and Joseph is one of the reasons Letang is an alternate captain.
“He’s great with the young kids,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He talks to them when they come back to the bench. He’s very supportive of them. And obviously, when he’s playing at a high level, he makes their job a lot easier as their partner. Those guys have an opportunity to gain a lot knowledge from a guy like Kris (who has) been through as much as he has and has had as much success as he has.
“My experience of being around Kris in watching him with P.O and now with (Pickering) is he embraces that mentor role. He’s very good at it. He’s patient with those guys. He talks to them constantly when they come to the bench in between bench, in between periods, on practice days. … Then he does a lot of practice reps with them before and after practice.”
Pickering often defers to Letang on many matters.
“He’s a pro. He’s done it for so long,” Pickering said. “There’s reasons he’s at the level that he’s at. The way he approaches the game and the mentality that he has at the rink is something I want to be like.”
Joseph echoed that sentiment.
“Just having a veteran presence like that and knowing him by heart now, it’s definitely comforting,” Joseph said. “He’s a very talented person. He’s someone that’s always trying to learn something. … Being around him on the ice is definitely useful and makes it easy.”
Considering Letang is 19 years into his remarkable existence as an NHLer, it can be easy to forget he was once where Pickering and Joseph are in their respective careers.
But not for Letang.
“When you’re young, I know how it feels,” Letang said. “You might be nervous. You don’t want to make mistakes. You want somebody to help you out whether it’s coverage or faceoff plays or whatever situation. You try to bring as much knowledge as you can bring them. Obviously, they’re two tremendous kids that want to learn, have the right attitude. Owen asks a ton of questions every game. He wants to learn, he wants to get better every single day. It’s a great quality as a young guy. Same thing with P.O.
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“It’s fun to transmit that and to be part of their (growth).”
Note: The Penguins had a scheduled day off Monday.