Evgeni Malkin

At 37 years old, Evgeni Malkin has this physical status:

Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin, nicknamed "Geno" by the Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL), was born 31 July 1986). Malkin began his playing for his junior and senior teams with his hometown club, Metallurgitogorsk.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had him ranked second overall in the 2004 NHL Draft, but the start of his NHL career was postponed until 2006.

The Calder Memorial Trophy was named as the best rookie in the NHL in his first season with the Penguins.

In his second season, he aided Pittsburgh in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final and was a runner-up for the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is given to the NHL's Most Valuable Player during the regular season.

Malkin also finished second for the Hart Trophy in the following season, with the Art Ross Trophy given to the top-scoring in the NHL and the second awarding to the top-scoring player in the NHL.

He and the Penguins both reached the Stanley Cup Final this season, winning the Stanley Cup final this time around.

Malkin was named as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs by the Conn Smythe Trophy.

After winning the Art Ross Trophy for the second time and receiving the highest margin of victory since 1999, Malkin was given the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, given to the best player as voted by the participants. Malkin has competed for Russia in two IIHF World U18 Championships and three IIHF World U20 Championships, winning one gold, two silvers, and one bronze medal as a junior.

He received the tournament MVP award in 2006 in addition to a silver medal.

As a senior, he has competed in four IIHF World Championships, winning the gold medal and being named tournament MVP for the 2012 season.

In addition,, he has won bronze medals in two other World Championships and has represented for Russia during three Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Vancouver, and Sochi.

Personal life

Malkin was born in Magnitogorsk on July 31, 1986, to Vladimir and Natalia Malkin. Vladimir spent time in Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, Russia's largest iron and steel works, as well as the city's main industry, and participated in the Metallurgical Magnitogorsk youth and club hockey leagues. Denis is Malkin's older brother, who is older by one year. Malkin began skating at the age of three. Two years later, he entered his first organized hockey league. He demonstrated an aptitude for the sport at an early age, as one might expect from the son of a professional. However, because both of his parents were young, no one doubted Malkin would be a world-class athlete.

Malkin runs a restaurant in Magnitogorsk that is designed to look like a prison's insides.

In November 2015, Malkin met Russian television actress Anna Kasterova. A son was born six months later, on May 31, 2016.

Malkin declared his participation in the PutinTeam social movement, which was initiated by compatriot and fellow NHLer Alexander Ovechkin in support of President Vladimir Putin during the 2018 Russian presidential election. "We just want to help because, in 2018, we have the World Cup in Russia; they also have elections."

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Playing career

Malkin is a member of the Metallurgisk hockey club. He made his Russian Superleague debut in the 2003–04 season as a 17-year-old before being drafted. He made his international debut for Russia in the 2003 U-18 World Championships, where he skated with Alexander Ovechkin on the top line. The team went on to win the bronze medal.

Malkin was drafted second overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins in his first professional season in Russia (behind national teammate Alexander Ovechkin). However, a transfer dispute between the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) delayed his Pittsburgh debut. On August 7, 2006, it seemed that the 20-year-old Malkin had reached an agreement with Metallurg on a pact that would have kept him in Russia until May 2007. Malkin, on the other hand, said he did not sign the one-year contract not as a result of the intense "psychological strain" his former club brought on him. He left Metallurg Magnitogorsk's training camp in Helsinki, wishing to play in the NHL, before it began on August 12. Malkin's passport was reportedly confiscated later to discourage him from leaving, but the team later restored it to him, and Malkin was allowed to pass through Finnish customs. After a brief meeting with J. P. Barry, Malkin's handler, the two departed and waited for Malkin's visa clearance from the US Embassy.

Malkin invoked a law that allows him to resign his one-year deal by giving his employer two weeks' notice on fax. On September 5, 2006, having untied himself to obligations in Russia, he was able to sign an entry-level deal with the Penguins.

In the United States District Court for the southern district of New York, Malkin's former Russian hockey team brought an antitrust complaint against the NHL and the Penguins following his first NHL game with Pittsburgh on October 19, 2006. Malkin is not allowed to play in the league because he is still under Russian influence, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also sought unspecified damages. On November 15, 2006, an injunction motion was refused, ensuring that Malkin would continue to play in the NHL for the remainder of the season. The case was eventually dismissed on its own by the District Court on February 1, 2007.

Malkin played with teammate John LeClair and dislocated his own shoulder, causing him to miss the season's first pre-season game. His NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils, which he scored his first goal against Martin Brodeur, was postponed until October 18th.

In each of Malkin's first six games, he set a new NHL record when he scored a goal. Joe Malone's rookie season in 1917–18, when the NHL was founded in 1917–18, he scored at least one goal in 14 consecutive games to begin his NHL career (Malone, however, had competed in the National Hockey Association, the predecessor league to the NHL). In his seventh game with the San Jose Sharks, Malkin's streak was eventually put into halt.

Sidney Crosby, Malkin's rookie season with 33 goals and 85 points, leading all first-year players and winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's second rookie since Mario Lemieux, who is currently unemployed. Malkin was named as the Penguins' alternate captain right away.

Malkin didn't speak much English when he first arrived in the United States, but he did eventually begin to give short, simple interviews in the language thanks to his colleague Sergei Gonchar.

Malkin's first NHL hat-trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 3, 2008, in his sophomore season. He put on another three-goal game against the New York Rangers on January 14th. Malkin, a fellow captain and captain who suffered with an ankle injury, took the lead in the 28 games Crosby missed through the season. Malkin finished second in NHL scoring with 106 points, six points behind Alexander Ovechkin for the Art Ross Trophy. As the Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008, Malkin continued to dominate the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the finals, he scored three points against the Detroit Red Wings, totaling 22 points, but the Penguins were defeated by Detroit in six games.

Malkin's sophomore season culminated in a Hart Memorial Trophy nomination as NHL MVP — the award was given to Ovechkin and First team All-Star honors. With one year remaining on his entry-level deal, he has signed a five-year, $43.5 million contract extension with Pittsburgh.

Malkin began his NHL career in 2008-09 by scoring his 200th NHL point with an assist to Sidney Crosby on October 18, 2008. Crosby's 100th career aspiration and 300th career point were also on target. Crosby's team trainer cut the puck in half so that both players could relive the moment. Malkin won the Skills Competition's shooting accuracy portion of the Skills Competition, shooting four-for-four before defeating Dany Heatley three-for-four in a tie-breaker. Malkin claimed the scoring championship with 113 points after finishing runners-up to Alexander Ovechkin the previous season. Since Ovechkin and his fourth Penguin, he became the second Russian-born player to win it, and after Mario Lemieux, Jaromr Jágr, and Crosby. However, he will finish second behind Ovechkin for the Hart Trophy once more, despite this time receiving only a few more first-place votes. He gained just one first-place vote (out of 134 votes) and 659 points to Ovechkin's 128 first-place votes and 1,313 points in 2008. Malkin received 12 first-place votes (out of 133 votes) and 787 points to Ovechkin's 115 first-place votes and 1,264 points in 2009.

The Penguins claimed the Stanley Cup on June 12, 2009, after beating the Detroit Red Wings 2–1 in Game 7 of the Finals. Malkin led both the regular season and playoffs in scoring, with 14 goals and 22 assists. His 36 points were the most playoff total since Wayne Gretzky, who accumulated 40 points in 1993. Malkin was named as the first Russian-born and Asian-born player to do so after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the first Russian-born and Asian-born player to do so. He is also the second player in franchise history to win both the Art Ross and Conn Smythe trophies in the same year. Mario Lemieux, the other Penguin to achieve this feat, was Hockey Hall of Famer and team co-owner/president (1992).

Malkin returned to play against the Buffalo Sabres on February 4, 2011, after missing five games due to a left knee injury and sinus infection. Tyler Myers, a Sabres defenceman, collided with Malkin against the end-boards, injuring his right knee. He was lifted off the ice and returned to the dressing room, but he was unable to return to action after suffering from both a fractured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament damage (MCL). Malkin will have knee surgery on February 9, it was reported. The Penguins estimated his recovery time to six months, sidelining him for the remainder of the 2010–11 season and playoffs, but said he should be ready for training camp in September. "I'm sorry," Penguins general manager Ray Shero, Malkin wrote him after the incident, stating, "I'm sorry." "I told him he had nothing to apologize for," Shero explained.

In 2011-2012, Malkin had a bounce back season. Malkin led the Penguins on a line with newly acquired winger James Neal, who was limited to 22 games due to post-concussion syndrome. Despite missing seven games due to the lingering effects of his knee injury, Malkin scored 50 goals, three hat-tricks, and his second scoring title with 109 points. During the 2011–12 season, he was the only one in the NHL to score at least 100 points. Malkin will continue to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP for his play this season. He was also the first player in ten NHL seasons to win two scoring titles, bringing an end to a streak of nine different players over the NHL in points. Despite Malkin's outstanding season, the Penguins were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. In the six-game series, Malkin scored eight points. Following the Penguins' playoff exit, Malkin was announced that he would represent Russia at the 2012 World Championships.

Malkin retired from hockey after the 2012-2013 NHL lockout, but he rejoined Magnitogorsk, his former club, who had played for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the first time since being barred from hockey. Malkin was second in KHL scoring with 23 goals and 65 points in 37 games when the lockout concluded in early January. Despite missing the final portion of the KHL season, he still placed third overall in scoring. Malkin was limited to 31 games during the NHL season rather than the 48 planned, in which he scored 33 points. In the 2013 playoffs, Malkin and the Penguins met the New York Islanders in the first round, losing them in six games. In the six games, Malkin had a fantastic run, scoring 2 goals and 11 points. The Penguins won in five games, with Malkin scoring two more goals and five points in the next round. The Penguins were then swept in the conference finals against the Boston Bruins, with Malkin surviving on the scoreboard and releasing a 5 plus-minus rating.

Malkin was out of 22 games during the 2013-2014 NHL season, missing two games due to a lower body injury on 5 December, nine games with another lower-body injury, and then 11 games with a foot injury on March 25th. Malkin scored 72 points, second on the Penguins in the 60 games he was healthy, second behind only Sidney Crosby. Malkin had two goals and two assists for four points in his second-to-last game of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the playoffs, the Penguins met the Columbus Blue Jackets, defeating them in six games. Malkin was unable to score for Pittsburgh in the first five games and only had four assists in that time, causing Penguins fans to be concerned, particularly because Crosby was kept off the scoresheet as well. In Game 6, Malkin scored a hat-trick, sending his team to Round 2. Despite taking a 3–1 lead in the series, the New York Rangers, Malkin, and the Penguins were eliminated in seven games in Round 2 against the New York Rangers, Malkin, and the Penguins were eliminated in seven games. In the last three games, the Penguins only scored three goals. Malkin had a good run in seven games, scoring three goals and seven points. He was in possession of the Penguins.

Malkin was a key part of the Penguins' winning back-to-back Stanley Cups from 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons. He led the 2017 playoffs with 28 points. He also became the 29th player in the NHL to score 150 points in the playoffs.

Malkin scored his 1,000th NHL point on March 12, 2019, becoming the 88th player in league history to reach the record.

Malkin announced on July 20, 2022, that he would be moving to a free agency, but he signed a four-year, $24.4 million contract extension to keep with the Penguins, following initial reports that he would be returning to the Penguins.

Career statistics

Bold indicates led league

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