CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Evgeni Malkin thought back to his early days in the NHL on Tuesday, the final day of training camp before he enters his 15th NHL season.
"I remember my first year," he said. "I was nervous so much, I think two days before the game I couldn't sleep."
In the 14 years since, he's become one of the greatest Russian NHL players of all time.
His 1,076 career regular-season points ranks third all-time among all Russian NHL players in league history. He ranks No. 7 in goals among Russians, and if he scores at the same pace he did last season, he'll finish this season ranked fifth. He leads all Russian players with a career points-per-game of 1.186. His two Art Ross Trophies are the most by any Russian. He has a Calder Trophy, Hart Trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, Conn Smythe, and three Stanley Cups wins to his name.
He's looking to further that legacy this season.
Malkin's three Stanley Cups ties him with Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov (all won with the Red Wings in 1997, 1998, 2002) for the most of any Russian player in league history. When asked about his excitement heading into this season, he made it clear that he was aware of where he ranks among his countrymen, and that he's looking to set himself apart.
"If we win one more Cup, I'd be the first Russian player to win four Cups," he said. "That's my motivation right now."
Malkin, now 34 years old, is not just mindful of his own legacy entering this season. He's also thinking of the legacy of Penguins' core of Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and himself, a group that has been together for over a decade and three Stanley Cup runs.
"We talk a lot together, you know?" he said. "We're still hungry. We still want one more Cup, for sure. I say that every year. We're older and older every year, we don't know how many (more) years we play together. Two? Three? We're excited to be together again this year. I hope, I hope we play with no injuries and we feel great, play together. It's a great chance for the team to follow us and be leaders in this group."
In the five years that Mike Sullivan has been the Penguins' coach, he's seen a change in Malkin as he's grown into one of those leaders.
"I see a Geno that I think has matured over the years," Sullivan said. "Even in the five years that I've coached him, he's matured as a player and as a person.
"I think he has high expectations of himself -- as he should -- because he's such an elite player," Sullivan continued. "Geno is a guy that really cares about winning. He cares about the Penguins. And what I really admire about him is that he really takes responsibility for himself when it doesn't go the way that we all would like, or the way he would like. He's the first guy to step up and take responsibility. And then he's willing to put the work in to try to right the ship, so to speak. I think last year is the perfect example."
Malkin said that the group is "a little bit angry" over the way the Penguins were eliminated from last season's qualifying round against Montreal, providing extra motivation to ensure that their season doesn't end as quickly this year.
"We want it bad," he said.
If this team can make another run at the Cup during the few years remaining that Malkin and the core have together, it'll only strengthen his legacy as one of the greatest Russian players --and greatest Penguins players -- of all-time.
"He's built a certain legacy here in his time," Sullivan said of Malkin. "He's a generational talent that has been one of the very best of his age group in the last decade-plus. He's hungry for more, and that's what I see from Day 1 of training camp."
