CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Evgeni Malkin said that he and Kris Letang were "a little bit nervous" before leading the Terrible Towel twirl at Acrisure Stadium ahead of Sunday's Steelers home opener.
Letang and Malkin didn't exactly show those nerves as they emerged from the tunnel and hyped up the home fans:
Shoutout to @Letang_58 and @emalkin71geno for leading todayโs Terrible Towel Twirl ๐#HereWeGo | @penguins pic.twitter.com/7Kiv89fZrO
โ Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 22, 2024
"It got really loud when we stepped on," Letang said. "I got jacked up. My job was to hype them up, but I think I got hyped up. It was pretty cool."
Letang fittingly wore a No. 58 Jack Lambert jersey, and Malkin donned his favorite Troy Polamalu jersey, that he said Polamalu personally gave to him about 15 years ago. Malkin has long been a huge Polamalu fan, declaring him as "best" back in 2011:
@tpolamalu you best!!!!
โ Evgeni Malkin (@emalkin71geno) September 26, 2011
When Malkin won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2012, Polamalu personally congratulated him on the award.
"I know him as a person a little bit," Malkin said of Polamalu. "He's a great guy, and I think he's the best defenseman ever. I watched how he played in 2009 and he dominated. I love this guy, and I love his jersey."
Malkin said that Sidney Crosby was a possibility to join them for the game, but he was a "little bit tired" and didn't come. Drew O'Connor was able to join his teammates on the sideline, though, and called himself "Geno and Tanger's cheerleader."
When you play Pittsburgh, you play the whole city ๐ช pic.twitter.com/tcByycCdt4
โ Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 22, 2024
"They were a little nervous before, I think they didn't know what they were going to do," O'Connor said. "But I think they just let the crowd get to them, and they got them pumped up. So it was pretty funny. I think they were going to get security to pull them off the field. They stayed on a little past their welcome, I think. They were supposed to stop at the 10 (yard line), but I think Geno got out to the 20."
Letang said that the opportunity and the reception from the fans was a reminder of "what Pittsburgh is all about."
"Their support for their sports teams, it's part of their culture also," Letang said. "It's special. We're lucky to play in this city."
The Steelers went on to beat the Chargers, 20-10, to improve to a 3-0 record. Since things went so well, Malkin's hoping that the Steelers will invite them back.
"I love that they won," Malkin said. "Maybe we'll do it again next year."
