Evgeni Malkin joined an elite group on Tuesday.
No, the NHL didn't fix that infamous list of the 100 greatest players of all-time. He's still Mr. 101 in the eyes of the league.
Even better -- Malkin became the 88th player in history to hit the 1,000th-point mark, reaching the milestone with the secondary assist on Phil Kessel's power-play goal in the third period of a 5-3 win over the Capitals:
Malkin is the fifth Russian-born player to hit 1,000, joining Alex Ovechkin, Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Fedorov, and Alexander Mogilny. He's also the fifth active player to have reached 1,000 points, joining Joe Thornton, Sidney Crosby, Ovechkin, and Patrick Marleau.
"Finally," Malkin said of the milestone. "The last couple of weeks I was a little bit nervous, going a little bit slow. But it's like, finally 1,000 and I breathe normally. I thank my teammates. Of course it's a special day for my family, my friends. I've played hockey all my life, it's amazing to be here and win here against Washington. It's a special day for sure."
Malkin, who now has 21 goals and 49 assists in 64 games this season, had slowed down his pace slightly as he approached point No. 1,000, recording three goals and four assists in his previous 10 games. It seemed as if the pressure of the impending milestone had Malkin gripping his stick a little too tightly.
"Usually when you're a couple of points away (from a milestone), guys, they're pressing because they want to reach it," Mike Sullivan said after the game. "I think it should take a little bit of pressure off Geno. He can relax and just play the game the way he's capable. I think he's been really good for us the last handful of games. He's generating a significant amount of scoring chances, either for himself or for his line. They haven't converted on as many as they probably should have, there's been some real good saves made. Hopefully this will take a little pressure off him, he can just relax and play. But he's played extremely well for us."
Malkin echoed a similar sentiment.
"I hope I breathe normally, I'm able to relax and play a bit better," he said. "It's a tough year for me a little bit. But every game I keep playing better, and I think my game is back. I feel so much better every night, my confidence is back."
The Penguins shared a video of the reactions from Malkin's teammates, and Kessel's "Hey, you know what makes me happy? I got it!" is priceless:
Kessel on Malkin: "He's a world-class player. Obviously he's a big guy. He has good skills. He sees the game well, shoots the puck well. I guess when you do everything good, it's easy." pic.twitter.com/QsqUYszufO
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 13, 2019
"He wanted that," Malkin laughed when asked what he thought of his point coming on Kessel's goal. "We talk before, he said 'I hope I score your 1,000th point.' He's unbelievable. It's special for him too, we play a long time together. It's not easy for him too, but we try to play better every game and I'm glad he score, he gave me a chance to make 1,000 points. It's a huge goal for him, and huge point for me."
The Penguins shared a graphic listing the 110 players who factored into the 1,000 points throughout Malkin's career, from Sidney Crosby all the way to Mike Zigomanis:
"It's a crazy life," Malkin said. "I met so many nice guys, so many people. I've played against amazing players, played with huge amazing players. I'm glad to be here, it's my life."
Some of those "nice guys" sent in some video messages for Malkin to congratulate him on the achievement:
You hear that, Geno? pic.twitter.com/SUdZ0xsnDE
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 13, 2019
Kunitz on Malkin: "I think everybody realizes that he doesn't back down. He has that fire and I think that drives him to be a better player."
More from @emalkin71geno's peers: https://t.co/TwptavHDna pic.twitter.com/g687K5zZdC
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 13, 2019
From Russia with love.
More from @emalkin71geno's peers: https://t.co/TwptavHDna pic.twitter.com/HBH0FjyF6F
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 13, 2019
Crosby, who's factored into nearly a third of Malkin's 1,000 points, was thrilled to see his longtime teammate finally hit the mark.
"I'm happy for him," said Crosby. "It was only a matter of time when he's this close. It's a great milestone, and he's done so much over the years: Been a part of winning teams; highlight-reel goals; and dominating games; did a lot for the organization. It's just been fun to be a part of that and watch that. You're always happy for your teammates when they do well, but a guy that you played this long with, it's pretty special."
The words from Sullivan may have been the strongest of all.
"Geno, as a player reaching this milestone, is just an indication of his elite talent level, his mental toughness, his stick-to-it-iveness to fight through the challenges that this league presents," he said. "It's hard. It's hard to produce as consistently as he has in the time that he's been here in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh fans, our ownership, our management team, our coaching staff, our teammates, we all understand what he means to this team. He doesn't get the credit he deserves outside of Pittsburgh in the hockey world. He's been one of the elite players in this league for a decade-plus. He deserves more attention for that. His body of work speaks for itself with what he's accomplished. Tonight he reaches 1,000 points, but he's a three-time Stanley Cup champion. He's a Conn Smythe winner. The list goes on and on. We certainly have an appreciation for what he brings to this organization. And he's a great person. He's a good teammate, he cares about the Penguins, he cares about his teammates, and he cares about this team winning. That's what we love about him."
In attendance for the game were Malkin's parents Vladimir and Natalia, and wife Anna. Malkin's father was shown tearing up on the videoboard after applauding the assist.
Malkin and Anna's nearly-3-year-old son, Nikita, was at home. Malkin said he's still "too small" to stay for full games. Nikita will still get to take part in some of the fun, though.
"Next game, I hope he comes, the ceremony," Malkin said. "He steps on the ice for the first time, it's huge for him."
And after that ceremony, the work continues.
"I do what I can every night. It's not over. I just work next game, keep going."
Work toward point No. 2,000?
"Oh, no," he laughed. "No chance."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Capitals, PPG Paints Arena, March 12, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS