Evgeni Malkin leads Russia to Gold at the World Championships

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin continues to add onto his amazing 2011-2012 season. Malkin helped Russia win the gold medal at the IIHF world championships.On top of that Malkin led the tournament in scoring and was named MVP.
Malkin is only the second player in history to lead the NHL regular season and world championships in scoring since Wayne Gretzky. That is saying a lot. I know sometimes I am hard on Malkin because I expect so much from him.


Malkin has been the best hockey player in the world since October. I just hope Malkin can keep this kind of performance up next season. With a healthy Sidney Crosby back in the lineup, the Pens will once again enter the season as favorites on paper to compete for the Stanley Cup.

I am glad Malkin had such a great year but now this would definitely give him and his fans an excuse if his play drops off next season. Malkin could end up being fatigued from playing so much hockey and playing at such a high level.

Not to mention that Malkin has been known to see his play drop when Crosby is in the lineup. If the Penguins want to win another cup soon, both Malkin and Crosby are going to play at a high level. Congrats Geno!