The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation (91st season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the other conference (one division at home and one on the road.)^[2] It began on October 4, with the regular season ending on April 12. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 12, with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking the championship. The Montreal Canadiens hosted the 57th NHL All-Star Game at the Bell Centre on January 25, 2009, part of the Canadiens' 100th season celebration.^[3]

League business[link]

Increase in salary cap[link]

National Hockey League announced that the regular season salary cap would be going up for the fourth straight season. The 2008–09 salary cap is being increased by $6,400,000 (US) per team to bring the salary cap up to $56,700,000 (US). The salary floor is at $40,700,000 (US), which is higher than the salary cap on 2005–06 season.

Rule changes[link]

The NHL brought in a number of rule changes for the start of the 2008–09 NHL season aimed at increasing offence and safety. The first rule change was to Rule 76.2 on faceoffs. The first faceoff of a power play will now be in the defending zone of the team that committed the foul, regardless of where the play was stopped. The second rule dealt with the issue of safety while players are pursuing the on a potential icing call. Rule 81.1 states that, "Any contact between opposing players while pursuing the puck on an icing must be for the sole purpose of playing the puck and not for eliminating the opponent from playing the puck. Unnecessary or dangerous contact could result in penalties being assessed to the offending player." The third rule change also dealt with faceoff position: if a puck is shot off the goal frame, goal post or crossbar, the subsequent faceoff will remain in the end zone where the puck went out of play.^[4] Another rule change prohibits TV commercials, game breaks, and any line changes immediately after an icing call.

Season schedule[link]

The 2008–09 schedule returns to the pre-lockout schedule. The new schedule eliminates the three-year rotation where teams would only play teams in two of the three divisions of the opposite conference; instead the new schedule guarantees that each team plays every other team at least once. In the new schedule, each team will play their divisional rivals six times for a total of 24 games; they will play all other conference teams four times for a total of 40 games, and will play every team in the opposite conference at least once for a total of 15 games. To obtain a total of 82 games there are an additional three-wild card games; for the Canadian teams, the three-wild card games are composed of playing the three Canadian teams in the opposite conference an additional time.^[5]

European openers[link]

Wikinews has related news: National Hockey League to open 2008–09 season in Stockholm and Prague

The 'regular season' started with four games played in Europe. The Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins played each other twice in Stockholm, Sweden the 2 teams split a 2 game premiere, and the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning played each other twice in Prague, Czech Republic The Rangers swept Tampa Bay 2–0. The New York Rangers represented the NHL in the inaugural Victoria Cup challenge game as part of the club's pre-season schedule. The four teams also played some pre-season exhibition games in Europe.^[6]

Other than the four overseas 'regular season' games starting October 4, October 9 was the actual first day of regular season games as far as widespread continental North American broadcast from most providers, including pay per view hockey packages. Other teams still played preseason games between October 4 and 6.

By February 23, 2009, all four teams who started the season in Europe had fired their coaches.

Winter Classic[link]

Because of the success of the 2008 Winter Classic, another outdoor game was held in the 2008–09 NHL season. While Yankee Stadium was considered an early favorite, in a game to be hosted by the Rangers, cold-weather issues involving the old stadium put that location out of the mix. Another site considered was Beaver Stadium at Penn State University, with that game to likely involve the Penguins and the Flyers.^[7]

On May 29, 2008, TSN reported that the 2009 NHL Winter Classic would be held in Chicago, Illinois on January 1, 2009, played between the Chicago Blackhawks and defending champion Detroit Red Wings.^[8] Soldier Field was considered an early candidate, however the NFL's Chicago Bears objected, citing a possible home game for the 2008 NFL playoffs that weekend (January 3–4); ironically, the Bears ended up being eliminated from contention in the last week. It was decided that the game would be played at Wrigley Field, the North Side home of the Chicago Cubs, as confirmed by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on July 6. Ten days afterward, the NHL confirmed the reports that the game would officially be held on New Year's Day.^[9] Faceoff was scheduled for 1 pm EST (12 noon CST). The Red Wings won the game 6–4.

Trade deadline[link]

The NHL and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) agreed to move the trade deadline from Tuesday, March 3, 2009, to Wednesday, March 4, 2009. This was done mainly because the schedule has twelve games on March 3 and only two on March 4.^[10]

General Managers' Meeting[link]

At the meeting, held in Naples, Florida from March 9–11, 2009, general managers of the teams discussed issues that concerned them. Consensus on any topic would lead to action by the Board of Governors or the Competition committee in later meetings. Paul Kelly, president of the NHLPA, made a presentation on the topic of dangerous hits to the head, proposing new rules to penalize intentional hits.^[11] The general managers could not agree on the planned rule change and took no further action. Kelly intends to review the issue at the future Competition committee meeting, which is held after the Stanley Cup final. The general managers also discussed the topic of fighting in hockey, and agreed to penalize further players who start fights directly after face-offs and to further enforce the existing 'instigator' rule.^[12] The managers agreed to award a second-round compensatory pick in the 2009 entry draft to the New York Rangers due to the death of Alexei Cherepanov.^[13]

Scheduled events and deadlines[link]

The Christmas holiday roster freeze went into effect on December 19, 2008, and ended on December 27, 2008.

The NHL Winter Classic was held on January 1, 2009, between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.

No regular-season games were held during the NHL All-Star break from January 22 to January 26. During the break, the NHL held its annual All-Star Game and the SuperSkills Competition in Montreal, Quebec.

The trade deadline was March 4 at 3 pm EST.^[14] The most notable trade was between the Phoenix Coyotes and Calgary Flames sending Olli Jokinen to Calgary, but there were fewer trades than at previous deadlines.

Regular season[link]

The first goal of the season was scored by Markus Naslund of the New York Rangers in Prague against the Tampa Bay Lightning.^[15] On October 16, 2008, the Blackhawks fired head coach Denis Savard and replaced him with former Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues head coach Joel Quenneville.^[16] On Saturday, October 25, the NHL scheduled fifteen games—with all 30 teams playing—for the second time in league history.^[17]

On November 3, 2008, in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders, Islanders forward Chris Campoli scored twice in one overtime. First, Campoli retrieved a loose puck and fired a shot past Jacket's goaltender Fredrik Norrena. The shot went through the net and, while Campoli celebrated, the game continued. Campoli then received a pass in front of the goal and shot the puck again into the net.^[18]

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Barry Melrose would record his first win as a head coach in over 13 years on October 21, 2008, with a 3–2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. However, the Lightning did not get off to a great start as hoped, and Melrose was fired by the Lightning with a 5–7–4 record. Rick Tocchet, who had been hired as assistant coach during the previous offseason, was promoted to interim head coach. Melrose subsequently re-signed with broadcaster ESPN. Melrose proceeded to get into a war of words with the Lightning management, accusing the management of interference during an interview on a Toronto radio station.^[19]

On December 2, 2008, Carolina Hurricanes' head coach Peter Laviolette was fired and Paul Maurice was rehired in his place. Ron Francis became the team's associate head coach.

During the annual December board of governors' meeting, the issue of the state of the economy was raised. The Phoenix Coyotes were reported to lose up to $35 million on the 2008–09 season. Asked to comment on Phoenix's loss, Commissioner Gary Bettman was quoted as saying "They're going to get through the season just fine."^[20] The Buffalo Sabres, while not for sale, had been approached for purchase.

On December 5, Sean Avery of the Dallas Stars was suspended six games for 'off-colour' remarks prior to a game against the Calgary Flames.^[21] On December 14, the Stars' management announced that he would not be returning to the team. After Avery's reinstatement by the league, he reported to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. He was placed on re-entry waivers and was claimed by the New York Rangers, his team in 2007–08.

On December 23, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported that the Phoenix Coyotes team is receiving financial assistance from the league in the form of advances on league revenues. The Coyotes have pledged all of their assets to New York company SOF Investments LP to cover an estimated debt of $80 million. The team has lost an estimated $200 million since 2001 and may lose $30 million this season. One of the team's owners, Jerry Moyes' principal source of revenue, Swift Transportation is also in financial difficulty.^[22] ESPN reported that the league has gotten involved with the operations of the Coyotes and their revenues. The NHL reportedly wants to work with the city of Glendale, Arizona, which owns the arena and receives revenues from the team. ESPN also reported that Moyes wants to sell his share of the team and that Hollywood film producer Jerry Bruckheimer is a possible interested purchaser.^[23]

In February 2009, three head coaches were relieved from their duties. On February 1, Craig Hartsburg was fired as head coach of the Ottawa Senators following a 17–24–7 start to the season and was immediately replaced by Binghamton Senators head coach Cory Clouston.^[24] On February 15, Dan Bylsma of the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins was promoted to replace Michel Therrien of the Pittsburgh Penguins as interim head coach. Dan would later be announced as a permanent head coach of the team.^[25] On February 23, the New York Rangers fired Tom Renney following an overtime loss and he was replaced on the same day by TSN analyst and former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, John Tortorella.^[26]

In March, goaltender Martin Brodeur returned to the New Jersey Devils after a long injury. He became the winningest goaltender in league history, surpassing the record of Patrick Roy. Guy Carbonneau was also fired as the head coach of the Canadiens when the team was in danger of being eliminated from the playoffs.

In April, the Columbus Blue Jackets qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The Carolina Hurricanes qualified for the playoffs for the first time since their 2006 Stanley Cup victory. The Ottawa Senators missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1995–96 season.

In an ironic twist, considering his injury woes of past seasons, Jordan Leopold played in all 64 games for the Colorado Avalanche. Upon being traded to the Calgary Flames Leopold played in all 19 remaining games for the Flames becoming the only NHL player to play 83 games of the 82 game 2008–2009 season.^[27] Jacques Lemaire resigned as the first head coach of the Minnesota Wild on April 11 after missing the playoffs.

Scoring in the regular season improved somewhat from 2007–08, with an average of 5.7 goals scored per game (7,006 goals scored over 1,230 games).^[28] Goaltenders combined for 156 shutouts.^[29]

In May 2009, it was revealed that the NHL had taken control of the Phoenix Coyotes from the start of the season. And had known of the financial difficulties of the team prior to the start of the 2008–09 season. After owner Jerry Moyes petitioned the club into bankruptcy against the league's wishes, so as to sell the team to Jim Balsillie who plans to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario, the league challenged the right of Moyes to file for bankruptcy. In the documents filed with the Phoenix bankruptcy court, the NHL stated that the league took official control of the team on November 14, 2008. The league then began advancing money to the club from league revenues, and made a loan to the club in February 2009, for a combined estimated total of $44.5 million over the full season. During the season, commissioner Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly had made a series of denials and obfuscations, while firing the Coyotes CEO and laying off 18 Coyotes employees. Moyes' documents filed with the court indicated that the team had lost $73 million over the last three years, and that the projected loss was $45 million for 2008–09.^[30]

Jacques Martin became the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens on June 1 when former coach Bob Gainey returned to his general manager status. On June 3, Tony Granato was fired as the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche and was replaced on the next day by Joe Sacco, head coach of the Avs' top minor league affiliate the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. On June 9, despite Brent Sutter winning 51 games (a franchise record), he resigned as head coach of the New Jersey Devils after two first-round playoff losses because of family reasons. One day later on June 10, Dave Tippett was fired as head coach of the Dallas Stars after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2001–02 season, when Rick Wilson took over as coach. Marc Crawford was named the new head coach for the 2009–10 season the next day. Todd Richards would be named the second head coach of the Minnesota Wild on June 15, three days after the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup over the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 3. Evgeni Malkin earned the Conn Smythe Trophy for becoming the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Final standings[link]

GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime/Shootout Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points.

bold - qualified for playoffs, y - division winner, z - placed first in conference (and division)

AT - Atlantic Division, NE - Northeast Division, SE - Southeast Division

bold - qualified for playoffs, y - division winner, p - Presidents' Trophy winner
CE - Central Division, NW - Northwest Division, PA - Pacific Division

Tiebreaking procedures[link]

In the event of a tie in points in the standings at the end of the season, ties are broken using the following tiebreaking procedures.^[31] The higher ranked team is the one with:

1. The greater number of games won.
2. The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs.
3. The greater differential between goals for and against for the entire regular season.

Playoffs[link]

Playoff seeds[link]

After the regular season, the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The San Jose Sharks won the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the league, at 117 points. Division champions maintain their relative ranking during the entire playoffs while the remaining teams get reseeded below them after each round.

Eastern Conference[link]

The Stanley Cup

1. Boston Bruins – Northeast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 116 points
2. Washington Capitals – Southeast Division champions, 108 points
3. New Jersey Devils – Atlantic Division champions, 106 points
4. Pittsburgh Penguins – 99 points (45 wins)
5. Philadelphia Flyers – 99 points (44 wins)
6. Carolina Hurricanes – 97 points
7. New York Rangers – 95 points
8. Montreal Canadiens – 93 points*

*Montreal finished with exactly the same record as the Florida Panthers (including the first tie-breaker – number of wins). Montreal won on the second tie-breaker, head-to-head record, with a six points to three advantage in the four-game season series.

Western Conference[link]

1. San Jose Sharks – Pacific Division champions and Western Conference regular season champions; President's Trophy winners, 117 points
2. Detroit Red Wings – Central Division champions, 112 points
3. Vancouver Canucks – Northwest Division champions, 100 points
4. Chicago Blackhawks – 104 points
5. Calgary Flames – 98 points
6. St. Louis Blues – 92 points (10 points head-to-head)
7. Columbus Blue Jackets – 92 points (3 points head-to-head)
8. Anaheim Ducks – 91 points

Playoff bracket[link]

In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team will play at home for games 1 and 2 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary), and the lower-seeded team will be at home for game 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary).

• During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.

NHL awards[link]

NHL All Star Team[link]

First All-Star Team

• Forwards: Alexander Ovechkin • Evgeni Malkin • Jarome Iginla
• Defencemen: Mike Green • Zdeno Chara
• Goaltender: Tim Thomas

Second All-Star Team

• Forwards: Zach Parise • Pavel Datsyuk • Marian Hossa
• Defencemen: Nicklas Lidstrom • Dan Boyle
• Goaltender: Steve Mason

NHL All-Rookie team[link]

• Forwards: Patrik Berglund • Kris Versteeg • Bobby Ryan
• Defencemen: Drew Doughty • Luke Schenn
• Goaltender: Steve Mason

Player statistics[link]

Scoring leaders[link]

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Source: NHL^[32]

Leading goaltenders[link]

GP = Games Played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/Shootout Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Records[link]

• February 14, 2009 – Mike Green, defenseman with the Washington Capitals, scored in eight consecutive games to set a new NHL record for a defenseman.^[33]
• February 15, 2009 – Mike Richards, center with the Philadelphia Flyers, became the first player in NHL history to score three career 3-on-5 shorthanded goals when he beat New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in a 5–2 win
• March 12, 2009 – Henrik Lundqvist, goaltender with the New York Rangers, became the first goaltender in NHL history to win 30 games in each of his first four seasons.
• March 17, 2009 – Martin Brodeur, goaltender with the New Jersey Devils, won his 552nd game, surpassing Patrick Roy for the all time wins record.
• April 8, 2009 – Curtis Joseph, goaltender with the Toronto Maple Leafs, lost his 352nd game, tying Gump Worsley for most losses by a goaltender.
• June 12, 2009 – Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup.
• June 12, 2009 – Evgeni Malkin became the first Russian player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Milestones[link]

First games[link]

The following is a list of players of note that played their first NHL game in 2008–09, listed with their first team:

• Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
• Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

Last games[link]

The following is a list of players of note that played their last NHL game in 2008–09, listed with their last team:

• Patrice Brisebois, Montreal Canadiens^[34]
• Sergei Fedorov, Washington Capitals
• Bret Hedican, Anaheim Ducks^[35]
• Bobby Holik, New Jersey Devils^[36]
• Curtis Joseph, Toronto Maple Leafs^[37]
• Olaf Kolzig, Tampa Bay Lightning^[38]
• Claude Lemieux, San Jose Sharks^[39]
• Markus Naslund, New York Rangers^[40]
• Teppo Numminen, Buffalo Sabres^[41]
• Michael Peca, Columbus Blue Jackets^[42]
• Luke Richardson, Ottawa Senators^[43]
• Gary Roberts, Tampa Bay Lightning^[44]
• Jeremy Roenick, San Jose Sharks^[45]
• Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche^[46]
• Brendan Shanahan, New Jersey Devils^[47]
• Mike Sillinger, New York Islanders^[48]
• Jason Smith, Ottawa Senators^[49]
• Mats Sundin, Vancouver Canucks^[50]
• Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars

Hat tricks[link]

See also[link]

• Season structure of the NHL
• 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
• 2008 NHL Entry Draft
• 2007–08 NHL season
• 2008–09 NHL transactions
• 2009 NHL Winter Classic
• 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• 2008 in sports
• 2009 in sports
• Victoria Cup

References[link]

• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). NHL Official Guide and Record Book 2010. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-16-4. 

Евгений Малкин Evgeni Malkin
Malkin with the Penguins in 2012.
Born	(1986-07-31) July 31, 1986 (age 25) Magnitogorsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Pittsburgh Penguins Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RSL)
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	2nd overall, 2004 Pittsburgh Penguins[1]
Playing career	2003–present

Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin (Russian: Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин; IPA: [jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmɑlkʲɪn];^[2][3] born July 31, 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Chosen second overall in the 2004 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin's career in the NHL was delayed because of an international transfer dispute until 2006–07, in which he captured the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie. In his second season, he helped carry Pittsburgh to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final series and was a runner-up for league's MVP award, the Hart Memorial Trophy. The following season, Malkin won the Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the top-scorer in the NHL and again finished runner-up for the Hart Trophy while he and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup championship and Malkin the Conn Smythe Trophy. A second Art Ross Trophy was earned after the 2011–12 season, in which Malkin's 12-point margin was the largest since 1999. On April 27, 2012, he was nominated as one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy.

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 four IIHF World Championships, capturing one gold and two bronze medals, as well as two Winter Olympic Games, in Turin and Vancouver.

Early life[link]

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

Playing career[link]

Malkin 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.

Transfer dispute[link]

Malkin with the Penguins in 2008

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. However, a transfer dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (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]

NHL career[link]

Malkin during a practice with the Penguins in 2006.

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.^[9] Malone's mark, however, was set when technically every player was playing in his first NHL season; he had already played almost a decade in the league's predecessor, the NHA. Malkin's streak was eventually stopped in his seventh game by the San Jose Sharks.

Playing on a team with fellow phenom Sidney Crosby, Malkin finished his rookie season with 33 goals and 85 points, leading all first-year players and capturing the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. Malkin was also noted for his very good playing skills and was put as assistant captain for the Penguins shortly after. Malkin adds good skill to the Penguins.

When Malkin arrived in the United States, he spoke no English, but through the help of fellow Russian and teammate Sergei Gonchar, and his cousins, he eventually started to give short, simple interviews in the language.^[10] Affectionately, Malkin is known by the nickname "Geno", a play on his first name "Evgeni", by his fellow Pittsburgh Penguins teammates.

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 ankle injury, Malkin seized the opportunity to lead the Penguins, scoring 44 points in the 28 games Crosby was absent.^[11] In total, Malkin completed the season 2nd in NHL scoring with 106 points, six points behind Alexander Ovechkin for the Art Ross Trophy. Malkin continued to dominate into the playoffs as the Penguins made it to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. He scored three points against Detroit in the finals, totaling 22 points overall, but the Penguins were defeated by Detroit in six games.

Malkin's sophomore season culminated in a Hart Memorial Trophy nomination as league MVP—the award was given to Ovechkin—and First Team All-Star honors. On July 2, 2008, with one year left in his entry-level contract, he signed a contract extension with the Penguins for $43.5 million over five years.^[12]

Malkin, along with his parents (left), during the Penguins' victory parade for their 2009 Stanley Cup victory

Malkin began the 2008–09 season by scoring his 200th NHL point with an assist to Sidney Crosby on October 18, 2008. The goal was Crosby's 100th career goal and 300th career point. Crosby had a team trainer cut the puck in half so both players could commemorate the moment.^[13] Voted as a starter to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game later in the season, Malkin won the shooting accuracy segment of the Skills Competition, initially shooting four-for-four before beating Dany Heatley three-for-four in a tie-breaker. After having finished runner-up to Alexander Ovechkin the previous season for the Art Ross Trophy, Malkin captured the scoring championship with 113 points. He became the second Russian-born player to win it, after Ovechkin, and the fourth Penguin, after Mario Lemieux, Jaromír Jágr, and Crosby. However, he would once again be runner-up to Ovechkin for the Hart Memorial Trophy, although this time garnering a few more first-place votes. In 2008, he had just one first-place vote (out of 134 votes) and 659 points to Ovechkin's 128 first-place votes and 1,313 points.^[14] In 2009, Malkin had 12 first-place votes (out of 133 votes) and 787 points to Ovechkin's 115 first-place votes and 1,264 points.^[15]

On June 12, 2009, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Detroit Red Wings 2–1 in game 7 of the finals. Malkin tallied 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) to become the first player to lead both the regular season and playoffs in scoring since Mario Lemieux accomplished the feat in 1992. His 36 points were the highest playoff total of any player since Wayne Gretzky amassed 40 points in 1993. Malkin received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, becoming the first Russian-born and Asian-born player to do so. He is also just the second player in franchise history to win both the Art Ross and Conn Smythe trophies in the same year. The other Penguin to accomplish this feat was Hall of Famer and team co-owner/president Mario Lemieux (1992).

Malkin scoring a shootout goal in January 2010

On February 4, 2011, after missing five games due to a left knee injury and sinus infection, Malkin returned to play against the Buffalo Sabres. At the start of the second period, Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers collided with Malkin against the end-boards, injuring his right knee. He was helped off the ice and went straight to the dressing room, unable to return to the game as he suffered both a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL). On February 9, it was announced that Malkin would undergo knee surgery. The Penguins estimated his recovery period as six months, sidelining him for the remainder of the 2010–11 NHL season and playoffs, but stated he should be ready for training camp in September.^[16] According to the Penguins' General Manager, Ray Shero, Malkin sent him a text message after the incident occurred stating, "I'm sorry." In Shero's words, "I told him he had nothing to apologize for."^[17]

Malkin had a bounce-back season in 2011–12. With post-concussion syndrome limiting team captain Sidney Crosby to 22 games, Malkin led the Penguins on a line with newly acquired winger James Neal.^[18] Despite missing seven games due to lingering effects of his knee surgery, Malkin scored 50 goals for the first time in his career including three hat tricks, and won his second scoring title with 109 points. He was the only player during the 2011–12 season to score 100 points.^[19] He also became the first player in the past ten NHL seasons to win two scoring titles, putting an end to a streak of nine different players over nine seasons leading the NHL in points. Despite Malkin's impressive season, the Penguins were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers. Malkin scored eight points in the six -game series.

Following the Penguins' playoff exit, it was announced that Malkin would again represent Russia at the 2012 World Championships.^[20]

International play[link]

Medal record
Malkin during the 2005 World Championships
Competitor for  Russia
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold	2012 Helsinki
Silver	2010 Germany
Bronze	2007 Moscow
Bronze	2005 Vienna
World Junior Championships
Silver	2006 Vancouver
Silver	2005 Grand Forks
World U18 Championships
Gold	2004 Minsk
Bronze	2003 Yaroslavl

Malkin made his first international appearance with Russia at the 2003 IIHF World U18 Championships in Yaroslavl. He helped Russia to a bronze medal, scoring 9 points in 6 games. He was named Russia's U18 captain for the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships the following year and scored 8 points as Russia improved to a gold medal in the tournament.

Several months prior to his second and final U18 tournament, Malkin debuted at the under-20 level with Russia at the 2004 World Junior Championships. In his first of three tournament appearances, he contributed 5 points in 6 games, but could not help Russia reach the podium. The following year, Malkin finished second in team scoring at the 2005 World Junior Championships to Alexander Ovechkin with 10 points. Led by the duo of Malkin and Ovechkin (the two had also played together the previous year), Russia won the silver, losing to Canada in the gold medal game. Later in 2005, Malkin made his debut with the Russian men's team at the 2005 World Championships. Despite failing to score a goal in the tournament, Malkin contributed 4 assists to help Russia to a bronze medal in Vienna.

In 2006, Malkin did triple duty for Russia, competing in his third World Junior Championships, his first Winter Olympics, and his second World Championships. He was named the top forward and MVP of the 2006 World Junior Championships in January, captaining Russia to a second straight silver medal and gold medal game loss to Canada. Less than two months later, Malkin was given one of the final spots on Team Russia for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, where he helped the team to a fourth-place finish with 6 points in 7 games. Then in May, Malkin played in the 2006 World Championship, where he led Russia in team scoring with 9 points.

Following his NHL rookie campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin was named to Team Russia for the 2007 World Championships, where he achieved a personal best for the tournament of 10 points. Makin played in the first line of team Russia together with Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Frolov. He also captured his second World Championships bronze.

Malkin was selected to play for the Russian Olympic Team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, where he led Team Russia in points yet again with 3 goals and 6 points in 4 games. Team Russia ultimately lost to Canada in the quarterfinals, finishing 6th overall, which incidentally is their worst placing ever at an Olympic Games (including the former Soviet Union and Unified Team teams).

Malkin was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), the best forward and to All-Star Team at the 2012 IIHF World Championship, where he scored 11 goals and made 8 assists, winning the scoring league with a total of 19 points. Evgeni also made two hat tricks: against Sweden in preliminary round and against Finland in semifinal game. Team Russia won the gold medal.

Awards and achievements[link]

Malkin after scoring a goal in 2010

• NHL All-Star Game – 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012
• NHL All-Star Game SuperSkills Competition – "Accuracy Shooting" Winner (2009)
• NHL First All-Star Team – 2008, 2009
• Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) – 2007^[21]
• Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP) – runner-up 2008 and 2009, nominated 2012 (winner TBA June 2012)
• Ted Lindsay Award (Most Outstanding Player) – nominated 2012 (winner TBA June 2012)
• Art Ross Trophy (Regular Season Scoring Leader) – 2009, 2012
• Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) – 2009^[22]
• NHL Stanley Cup Champion: 2009^[22]
• NHL 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Point Scoring Leader (36)
• Michel Brière Rookie of the Year Award (Pittsburgh Penguins' Rookie of the Year) – 2007 (shared with Jordan Staal)
• Pittsburgh Penguins' (MVP) – 2008, 2009, 2012
• NHL Rookie of the Month – October 2006,^[9][21] November 2006^[21]
• NHL's First Star of the Month – February 2008,^[23] December 2011^[24]
• NHL's Second Star of the Month – January 2012 ^[25]
• (IIHF) World Championships – (All-Star Team) 2007, 2010, 2012
• (IIHF) World Championships – (Best Forward) 2012
• (IIHF) World Championships – (Most Valuable Player) 2012
• (IIHF) World Championships – (gold medal) 2012

Records[link]

• First player since 1917–18 to score goals in each of his first six NHL games (first accomplished by Joe Malone, Newsy Lalonde and Cy Denneny in inaugural NHL season)^[26] (Oct 18 – Nov 01, 2006)
• Longest point streak by a Russian player in the NHL – 15 games (accomplished twice) (surpassed Dmitri Kvartalnov of the Boston Bruins – 14 games in 1992)^[27]
• Most consecutive post season games with multiple points for the Pittsburgh Penguins – 6 games (May 9–23, 2009)
• First Russian player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy (2009)
• 2nd fastest Russian to score 500 NHL points (413 games) behind Alexander Ovechkin (373 games)
• 1 of 9 Pittsburgh Penguins players and 1 of 6 Russian-born players to record 50 goals in a regular season ^[28]
• Second player ever to lead both the NHL, and the IIHF World Championships in scoring in the same season. (2011-12) (last accomplished by Wayne Gretzky in 1981-82)

Career statistics[link]

Regular season and playoffs[link]