Pittsburgh Penguins’ center Evgeni Malkin celebrated his 38th birthday on July 31, and an outpouring of support from the Pittsburgh hockey community shone through.
And at times like these, it’s almost easy to forget how many times throughout Malkin’s 18-year NHL career that a shadow was cast over his greatness. Malkin will, without a doubt, find himself in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day. But his body of work has largely gone unnoticed and underappreciated since he came into the league.
So, for now, let’s take a look back at eight times when Malkin reminded fans – and the league itself – that he was indeed still around and still dangerous.
1. One-man Hurricane wrecking crew
Malkin’s most prominent display of dominance was arguably during the Penguins’ 2008-09 Stanley Cup-winning campaign, when he was a menace in both the regular season and in the playoffs. But he has never been as dominant as he was in the Penguins’ Eastern Conference Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009.
The Penguins swept the ‘Canes, and that was, in large part, due to Malkin’s brilliance. In the Carolina series alone, Malkin registered six goals and nine points in just four games, including a hat trick in Game 3 – one of the signature goals of his career:
May 21, 2009: Evgeni Malkin with the spectacular no-look backhand goal against Carolina to complete a hat trick in ECF G2
pic.twitter.com/D50P1yDnkr— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) May 22, 2024
Malkin eventually went on to win the Conn Smythe Award after registering a ridiculous 14 goals and 36 points in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
2. Stealing the spotlight
Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid was the talk of the hockey world after he was drafted first overall in 2015. When the Penguins faced Edmonton for the first time in the McDavid era on November 29, 2015, they unfortunately missed the chance to face McDavid himself, as he was out due to injury.
But while Pittsburgh and the hockey world was disappointed they didn’t get to see Connor McDavid, the game’s future, and Sidney Crosby, the game’s present, square up against one another, Malkin made all the long faces disappear after reminding everyone that he was still very much a relevant talking point in the league:
3. Celebrating himself with the game-winner
On November 23, 2022, the Penguins celebrated Malkin’s 1,000th career game in style prior to their matchup against the Calgary Flames. Although the ceremony was lovely – and somewhat of a tear-jerker – it wasn’t the celebration itself that brought the house down.
As a matter of fact, it was the man of the hour himself who managed to bring the house down in the most storybook way possible:
4. Making mom and dad proud
During their 2023-24 8-1-2 stretch run that almost catapulted them into the playoffs, Malkin’s parents came to town from Russia to watch Malkin play. Apparently, they weren’t supposed to stay very long, but given how their son performed with his folks in town, they ended up sticking around for a bit. And moments like this was a huge reason why:
5. Keeping the hope alive
Although Pittsburgh’s playoff aspirations were ultimately cut short in 2023 by a single standings point, there were some unforgettable moments in their attempt to preserve what was, at the time, the longest active postseason streak in North American professional sports.
And none came close to Malkin’s late goal against the Washington Capitals on March 25, 2023, when he sparked hope and shook the entire city of Pittsburgh – as well as his captain – to the core:
6. A season of ‘Hart’
There is some sentiment that, at his peak, Malkin was the greatest player on the planet. And that was never more true than in 2011-12.
Malkin became only the ninth player in NHL history to take home the Hart Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award, and the Art Ross Trophy in the same season. He finished the season with 50 goals and 109 points in 75 games.
On this day in 2012, @emalkin71geno became just the ninth player in NHL history to win the Art Ross Trophy (NHL scoring leader), Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL MVP), and Ted Lindsay Award (NHLPA most outstanding player) in the same season at the NHL Awards. pic.twitter.com/uIeRrGOTvB
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 20, 2022
7. Revenge is best-served as a point-blank slapshot
Among Penguins fans, this is perhaps Malkin’s signature moment. After getting decked by the Philadelphia Flyers’ Mike Richards, Malkin gets up slowly, shakes off the hit, and falls behind his teammates chasing the Flyers to the other end of the ice.
Luckily, Russian teammate Sergei Gonchar picked up a loose puck at the other end and mailed it to Malkin, still at the other blue line. And he exacted revenge in the best way:
8. Mr. 101
For the NHL’s 100-year anniversary celebration in 2017, the league revealed a list of the best 100 players from the first 100 years of the league. Infamously, the list only included six active players at the time – which already didn’t seem like nearly enough – and one of the most notable snubs from the list was Malkin.
But Malkin, being the jokester that he is, used that snub to fuel and rebrand himself:
Evgeni Malkin on being left off NHL 100. “I’m trying to forget.” Says maybe if he wins a couple more cups, he’ll be No. 101
— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) February 6, 2017
Even former Penguins general manager and current Canucks GM Jim Rutherford had a good laugh about the ridiculousness of it all:
Malkin may be number 101 to the NHL, but he’s certainly near the top of the list in the eyes of Pittsburgh Penguins fans everywhere.
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Related: Russian-born Hart Trophy Winners ft. Evgeni Malkin
