Penguins star Evgeni Malkin quietly putting together Hart Trophy-calibre season
Mike Babcock agrees, albeit somewhat begrudgingly, that Evgeni Malkin probably hasn’t received all the recognition he’s deserved throughout a career spent playing alongside fellow Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby.
The head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs also has a few reference points — including one that still probably gnaws at him — when discussing the Russian centre’s prowess.
“I think he won the Conn Smythe, if I’m not mistaken, in 2009,” Babcock said recently, a nod to Malkin’s playoff MVP performance for the Penguins that ended with a Stanley Cup final victory over Babcock’s Detroit Red Wings. “He’s been an all-star a number of times, so does he get as much (credit) as he might if he was by himself? No, but he wouldn’t win as much if he was by himself.
“So do you want the credit or do you want the wins?”