By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin cheers after his parents Vladimir and Natalia drink champagne from the Stanley Cup during the team's Stanley Cup victory parade on the Boulevard of the Allies in downtown Pittsburgh this past summer.
So many things confronted Evgeni Malkin when he joined the Penguins for the 2006-07 season -- new city, new teammates, new language, new culture. He seems to have acclimated well, considering he has won an NHL scoring title, a Stanley Cup and playoff MVP honors.
As he has settled in and explored the local sports scene, one thing still confounds him. That would be the concept of the student-athlete.
"We don't have sports in college or schools," Malkin said of his native Russia. "Here, you play university sports, you have school and play sports for the school. I think it's better.
"In Russia, when I was young, I had [to spend] time at practice and time at school. It's a little bit harder. I [shortchanged] school because I love hockey and I wanted to play hockey and I went to the arena, not school. Here it's a little bit easier [to do both]. I like it."
Malkin will be surrounded by student-athlete as well as fellow professionals Thursday night when he is honored as Sportsman of the Year at the 2010 Dapper Dan Dinner & Sports Auction presented by BNY Mellon at the Petersen Events Center.
Although the 23-year-old center has been busy helping the Penguins as they have built themselves into an annual Stanley Cup contender, Malkin has become Americanized as a fan.
He still is not following college and high school sports despite his "yes" vote for them -- "It's too much for me," he said -- but he likes some of the pro games.
He already watched the NBA on television and has given baseball and football a look since he has been here.
Malkin has been to PNC Park for Pirates games a couple of times but has not been overly drawn in.
"It's a little bit longer, a little slow," he said of baseball. "But, if you go with good company, friends, you can talk, [enjoy] a nice day."
At least he did not blame the Pirates' string of losing seasons.
It is different with football. Malkin had seen bits and pieces of American football but did not develop an appreciation for it until he got here.
"I saw it on TV a couple of times, but I didn't understand it -- just a whistle every five seconds and stop the game every time," he said.
"I like Steelers games. I know the rules now -- not all the rules, but a little bit of the rules. It's a good game, a tough game with big guys. I support the Steelers. How can I not?"
Malkin has met a few of the Steelers, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polomalu, and got revved up when they won the Super Bowl for the sixth time last year.
In the months after the Steelers beat Arizona for that trophy, Malkin finished first in the NHL scoring race with 113 points, including 35 goals, then had another 14 goals, 36 points during a playoff run that concluded with the Penguins' third Stanley Cup championship and a Conn Smythe Trophy for him. He also was a finalist for the league MVP award, the Hart Trophy.
This season hasn't been quite as productive for Malkin, at least by his standards. He has 24 goals, 70 points in 63 games after getting a goal Saturday in a 3-2, overtime loss against Carolina. He had missed two games in a row before that game because of a bruised right foot.
Malkin, who is signed through the 2013-14 season, loves the future for the Penguins, who have been to the Stanley Cup final two years running and are nearly a lock to start another playoff run in a few weeks.
He thinks the setting is perfect for back-to-back titles.
"We played twice in the final and we have a great team -- young kids, and I think the same leadership," he said. "I know these guys. I know they're hungry, and I'm hungry, too. If we don't win now, maybe next year we'll be a different team. Who knows? But right now we're still the same team. I want to win because we did a great job last year and with the same team, we want to do it again."
That would mean another joyous citywide celebration.
The one in 2009 after the Penguins knocked off Detroit in Game 7 on the road June 12 lasted a weekend and was almost overwhelming for Malkin, particularly the parade through Downtown, so he would like a shot at experiencing it again.
"Maybe then I would be a little more relaxed and watch everything, how people like hockey, how happy they are," he said. "I want to repeat that.
"I've never seen that before, how crazy it was. Fans love hockey here. Mellon Arena [holds] 17,000, but it was 300,000 [for the parade]. That's a little different. It was exciting. I was a little bit nervous because I've never seen so many people in one day.
"It was a great day for me. I'll remember that day for all my life."
For more on the Penguins, read the Pens Plus blog with Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Shelly Anderson: shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721
Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
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