Evgeni Malkin

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Position Centre
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Gino/Geno[1]
Height
Weight		 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m)
195 lb (88 kg/13 st 13 lb)
NHL Team Pittsburgh Penguins
Nationality Flag of Russia Russia
Born July 31, 1986 (1986-07-31) (age 21),
Magnitogorsk, USSR
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 2004
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pro career 2003 – present

Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin (Russian: Евгений Влади́мирович Малкин, Jevgenij Vladimirovich Malkin, born July 31, 1986) is a professional ice hockey player with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.

Chosen second overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Penguins, Malkin's career in the NHL was delayed due to an international transfer dispute until 2006-07, in which he captured the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie. In his sophore season, he helped carry Pittsburgh to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals and is presently a Hart Memorial Trophy nominee.

Internationally, Malkin has competed for Russia in two IIHF World U18 Championships and three IIHF World U20 Championships, capturing one gold, two silvers and one bronze medal, as a junior. In 2006, in addition to a silver medal, he was also named tournament MVP. As a senior, he has played in three IIHF World Championships and one Winter Olympics, capturing two bronze medals.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Malkin, an effective power forward, is a product of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk hockey program. Prior to being drafted, he made his Russian Superleague debut in the 2003-04 season as a 17-year-old. He also made his international debut for Russia during the 2003 U-18 World Championships, where he skated on the top line with Alexander Ovechkin. The team went on to claim the bronze medal.

After his first professional season in Russia, Malkin was drafted 2nd overall (behind national teammate Alexander Ovechkin) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Upon being drafted, Malkin would, however, remain in Russia through to the 2005-06 hockey season. In the midst of a dispute between the NHL and the IIHF, the Russian Hockey Federation refused to ratify a transfer agreement, forcing Malkin to honor his existing contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Prior to resolving the transfer dispute and eventually entering the NHL, Malkin would make a significant impact on the international stage. He was named top forward and MVP of the 2006 World Junior Championships for the silver medal-winning Russian team, on which he was the captain. Less than two months later, Malkin was given one of the final spots on the senior Russian hockey team for the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he helped the team to a fourth-place finish with 6 points in 7 games. Despite playing behind many NHL superstars, he was named the team's best player.[citation needed] Malkin also played at the 2006 World Championships in May, where he led Russia with 9 points. By competing in the World Juniors, Winter Olympics and the World Championships in 2006, Malkin achieved the very rare feat of playing in all three major tournaments in the same year.

Before the start of the 2006-07 season, it appeared Malkin would remain in Russia another season after signing a one-year contract with Metallurg, but after some legal maneuvering, Malkin relieved himself of his Russian obligations and signed an entry-level contract with the Penguins.

On September 20, 2006, in his first preseason game as a Pittsburgh Penguin, Malkin collided with teammate John LeClair and dislocated his shoulder, which forced him to miss the start of the season. Subsequently, his NHL debut would be delayed until October 18, against the New Jersey Devils, in which he would score his first NHL goal against Martin Brodeur.

To begin his NHL career, Malkin set a modern-day record as the first player to score at least one goal in each of his first six games. No player had achieved this feat since the league's inaugural season in 1917-18, when Joe Malone scored at least one goal in 14 consecutive games to start his NHL career.[2] Malone's mark, however, was set when technically every player was playing in his first NHL season; Malone had already played almost a decade in the league's predecessor, the NHA. Malkin's streak was eventually stopped on his seventh game by the San Jose Sharks.

Malkin in practice with the Penguins
Malkin in practice with the Penguins

Playing on a team with fellow phenom Sidney Crosby, Malkin finished his rookie campaign with 33 goals and 85 points, leading all first-year players and capturing the Calder as the league's top rookie.

When Malkin arrived in the United States, he spoke no English, but through the help of fellow Russian and teammate Sergei Gonchar, he eventually started to give short, simple interviews in the language. [3]

In his sophomore season, Malkin recorded his first NHL hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs, on January 3, 2008. He earned another three-goal performance several games later, on January 14, against the New York Rangers.

Midway through the season, when more heralded teammate and captain Sidney Crosby went down with an injury, Malkin significantly elevated his game, scoring 60 points in the last half of 2007-08, including 36 points in the 21 games Crosby was injured between January 19 and March 2. In total, Malkin completed the season with 106 points, second overall in the league behind Alexander Ovechkin. Malkin continued to dominate into the playoffs as the Penguins made it into the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, tallying 22 points. However, he managed just 3 points against Detroit in the finals and the Penguins were eliminated in six games.

He is presently a nominee for the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP.

[edit] Transfer dispute

The start of Malkin's NHL career was not without controversy, as a transfer dispute between the NHL and the IIHF delayed his Pittsburgh debut.

On August 7, 2006, it appeared that the 20-year-old Malkin had come to a compromise with Metallurg and signed a deal that would have kept him in Russia until May 2007. However, Malkin stated that he signed the one-year contract not as a compromise but because of the immense "psychological pressure" his former club exerted on him.[citation needed] Desiring to play in the NHL, he left Metallurg Magnitogorsk's training camp in Helsinki, Finland, before it had started on August 12. It would later appear that the team had taken Malkin's passport away to prevent him from leaving, but it was eventually given back to him and Malkin was allowed to pass through Finnish customs. Meeting with his agent, J.P. Barry, the two quickly departed and waited for Malkin's visa clearance from the US Embassy.

In order to legally leave the team, on August 15, Malkin invoked, by fax, a provision of Russian labor law that allowed him to cancel his one-year contract by giving his employer two weeks notice.[4] Having untied himself of obligations in Russia, he was able to sign an entry-level contract with the Penguins on September 5, 2006.[5]

Following his first NHL game with Pittsburgh, on October 19, 2006, Malkin's former Russian hockey club filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NHL and the Penguins in the United States District Court for the southern district of New York.[6] The lawsuit claimed that Malkin should not be permitted to play in the NHL because he is still under contract in Russia. The claim also sought unspecified monetary damages. The motion for an injunction was, however, denied on November 15, 2006, ensuring that Malkin would continue play in the NHL that season.[7] The lawsuit was furthermore dismissed by the District Court on February 1, 2007.[8]

[edit] Endorsements

Malkin has a contract with Nike/Bauer.

[edit] Family

Malkin's father, Vladimir, was a defenseman for the same team he played for in Russia, Metallurg Magnitogorsk. His brother, Denis, was also in Metallurg's hockey system.

[edit] Awards & achievements

[edit] Records

  • First player since 1917-18 to score goals in each of his first six NHL games.[12]

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003-04 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Rus 34 3 9 12 12 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Rus 52 12 20 32 24 5 0 4 4 0
2005-06 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Rus 46 21 26 47 46 11 5 10 15 41
2006-07 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 78 33 52 85 80 5 0 4 4 8
2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 47 59 106 78 20 10 12 22 24
NHL Totals 160 80 111 191 156 25 10 16 26 32

[edit] International play

Played for Russia in:

International statistics

Year Team Event   GP G A P PIM
2003 Russia U18 6 5 4 9 2
2004 Russia WJC 6 1 4 5 0
2004 Russia U18 6 4 4 8 31
2005 Russia WJC 6 3 7 10 16
2005 Russia WC 9 0 4 4 8
2006 Russia WC 7 3 6 9 6
2006 Russia Oly 7 2 4 6 31
2007 Russia WC 9 5 5 10 6
Senior Int'l Totals 32 10 19 29 51

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Molinari, Dave. "Oh, for good 'ol golden nicknaming days of yore", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006-10-29. 
  2. ^ Pens' Malkin named NHL Rookie Of The Month for Oct.. National Hockey League (2006-11-02). Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
  3. ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Hockey easier than English for Malkin
  4. ^ *Malkin sits down for interview with TSN. The Sports Network. (2006-08-19). Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
  5. ^ Malkin finally signs with Pens. Sports Illustrated. (2006-09-05). Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
  6. ^ Russian club seeks to stop Malkin from playing in NHL. CBS Sportsline. (2006-09-19). Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
  7. ^ Legal Challenge Against Malkin Fails. TSN.ca (2006-11-15). Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
  8. ^ Judge dismisses Russian complaints against Penguins' Evgeni Malkin. National Hockey League (2007-02-01). Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
  9. ^ Malkin earns rookie honours. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2006-11-02). Retrieved on 2006-01-03.
  10. ^ Pens' Malkin named NHL Rookie of the Month for November. National Hockey League (2006-12-02).
  11. ^ NHL News | National Post
  12. ^ Malkin Became the First NHL Player in 89 Years With Goals in His First Six Games. Russian Spy (2006-11-02). Retrieved on 2006-11-02.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Alexander Ovechkin		 Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy
2007		 Succeeded by
incumbent
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