Evgeni Malkin has played 18 seasons for the Penguins. He has 498 goals, 798 assists and a plus-minus of +52 in 1,145 games. He has won 1 Hart Trophy, the Calder Trophy, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy and 3 Stanley Cups.

Under Russian law, any worker (including hockey players) can legally terminate their contract by giving their employer two weeks' notice, which Malkin did via fax after arriving in the United States.

Malkin owns a restaurant in Magnitogorsk which is designed to look like the inside of a prison. Malkin became engaged to Russian television personality Anna Kasterova in November 2015. Six months later, on 31 May 2016, their first child, a son was born.

The Malkins are natives of Magnitogorsk, a remote town in Russia that takes 15 hours worth of flying and three layovers to reach Pittsburgh, so it's rare Malkin sees his parents. “It's hard to fly because it's almost 20 hours,” Malkin said. “I hope next season they stay the whole year.”