It’s not that Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin stepped on Alex Ovechkin’s news – the longtime Washington Capitals winger and NHL all-time goals leader announced Monday that this will, in fact, be his last season before retirement — but Malkin, in addressing the news from his Russian countryman and fellow future Hall of Famer, threw out a mini-bombshell.

“He’s done everything. He’s played 22 years. He understands the league really good. It’s not easy,” Malkin said of Ovechkin after the Penguins morning skate at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “Same with myself. I don’t know — maybe it’s my last year, too, but I still love this game, but, again, it’s not easy to play every game, every night.”

Malkin, 40, who signed a one-year contract for this season but is not committed anywhere after 2026-27, offered only that hint that he might also retire. Mostly he talked about Ovechkin.

Ovechkin and Washington will host the Penguins on Wednesday night in a national TV game.

It was unknown last season if Ovechkin would retire at the end of the season. When the Penguins and Capitals played in the final game of the regular season, the Penguins pretty much treated it like a farewell to their long-time rival.

Ovechkin decided over the summer to return.

“It’s hard because he’s a legend,” Malkin said. “Fans love him. But again, he’s done everything for the team, for the league. I hope he plays good this year, no injuries, just stay healthy, score goals and enjoy the game.”

Ovechkin, who turned 41 last month and still has a cannon of a shot, is first all-time with 929 goals after he passed Wayne Gretzky in April 2025.

Ovechkin and Malkin were selected Nos. 1 and 2 overall, respectively, at the 2004 draft. An NHL lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season, and Malkin did not arrive to Pittsburgh until 2006-07 after playing in Russia.

So when the NHL resumed play in 2005-06, with a new salary cap and a push to promote the league like never before, it was Penguins rookie Sidney Crosby, then 18, and Ovechkin who were tagged as the future of the NHL and tapped for many marketing ventures.

“Definitely felt that,” Crosby said. “You don’t really have anything to compare it to at 18 years old. Now you do. It was a big responsibility. The good thing about being young is maybe you’re just learning yourself, learning to understand it. Looking back, I think I can just speak for myself, but I think I put a lot of pressure on myself and felt like there was a lot of responsibility given the situation, being a young player, too. You always felt like maybe you had to do extra as a young player. There are some things you probably didn’t feel like you deserved or should do because you hadn’t proven a thing or played a game and you’re doing all this promotional stuff.”

This is our favorite promotional NHL venture that involved Crosby and Ovechkin:

Ovechkin beat out Crosby for the Calder Trophy their rookie seasons. Back then, Crosby and Ovechkin had a bit of a prickly relationship. Their mutual respect came later.

“It’s tough,” Crosby said. “You come into the league at 18 years old and before we even met we were built up against each other. It’s kind of a natural thing to happen, but with how competitive that we are – especially coming in trying to prove ourselves – it would have been difficult to be too close, I think, given just some of the playoff matchups and history there.

“Over the years, obviously have developed a friendship with him, and I have a ton of respect for him. You play against someone that long and you’re compared and see each other enough, I think that’s something that builds over time.”

A few years into their NHL careers, the relationship between Malkin and Ovechkin soured, apparently because of an offseason incident in Russia. Ovechkin on several occasions got overly physical in games against Malkin. The two resolved their issues with the aid of other Russian players at the 2009 All-Star Game in Russia.

“I remember it was a tough situation, but it’s all behind,” Malkin said.

“It’s not perfect all the time. Same like me and Sid. We’re human. It’s hard to be always perfect — we all know Sid’s perfect but I’m not,” Malkin said, with a good-natured jab at Crosby.

“Sometimes (Ovechkin and I) talk a little bit more. Sometimes it’s a tough situation. But it’s good. Now we have families. We’re good friends. I always support his family, support him. I’m glad we’re still friends.”

Knowing Ovechkin plans to retire in a matter of months brings some emotion, said Malkin, who also has been teammates with Ovechkin for Team Russia.

“When he retires, it’s a sad day for everybody, but again, he’s a legend and it’s always fun to play against Washington, against him, play as teammates,” Malkin said. “Good friends. I give him some positive vibes, and I hope he remembers this year.”

Tags:Alex Ovechkin Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins Shelly Anderson Sidney Crosby

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