Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Kris Letang was dealt a nightmare of a situation last December 31st, unexpectedly losing his father while at the Winter Classic in Boston. And after a year of grieving, there's one thing that's helped him come to peace with the worst day of his life: Hockey.

Letang's impact on the Penguins is clear. He's their best defenseman, a clear leader, and a Stanley Cup champion. He also played a part in Erik Karlsson signing with Pittsburgh as the vet alluded to in a recent interview with The Athletic:

“I think those are the best ways to describe Kris,” said fellow defenseman Erik Karlsson, who joined the Penguins in August. “Obviously with everything he’s been through, even with me coming here, it’s a lot, right? But you’d never know it.

“You know, playing with Kris is one of the reasons I wanted to come here. He’s won. I want to win. You can’t win alone. I know. When the Penguins became an option, one of the things I liked right away was the idea of being around Kris. I’ve always had so much respect for him as a player, and getting to know him more as a person — look, it didn’t take long, maybe just a day, to realize how important he is to this team.

“He is the conscience.”

There's always been a mutual respect between Letang and Karlsson over the years and since the latter joined the Penguins, they've become close friends. Letang has gone through a lot in his life over the last 10 years, from his wife's miscarriage to a serious neck injury to the death of his father. But, it all made him stronger and his positive attitude is clearly resonating with his teammates, including Karlsson.

It's all about how you respond.