Evgeni Malkin is an acknowledged cheater.
As a teenager, his mom said, Malkin would complain of a sore arm and quit tennis matches against his brother late in a decisive set when defeat seemed imminent.
Since joining teammates' card games on Penguins charter flights, he has bullied his way to wins. All is well if Malkin plays the proper hand, but somebody is at fault if he does not and teammates concede defeat rather than deal with his sharp jabs or sleight-of-hand deals,Purchase Swiss Brands canadagooseparka and enjoy luxury feeling. winger Matt Cooke said.
The surest sign of Malkin's willingness to put himself over, at least in the opinion of his dad, are the nights when he sabotages his girlfriend during games of Narde,Best womenhandbags Have you spent a lot of time looking for the best replica watch for you? a two-player board game similar to backgammon.
That approach was crucial in October, when his surgically repaired right knee was slightly tweaked and forced him to miss seven games. By the time of Crosby's first comeback Nov. 21, Malkin had scored only five goals and produced just 14 points in 13 games.
Crosby played in eight games from Nov. 21-Dec. 5,Publique anuncios sobre shoppingbagfactory gratis. and Malkin surged with four goals and 10 points but it was during the next 40 contests that he made his MVP push. He produced 29 goals and 60 points in those games without Crosby, collecting three five-point performances and multiple points in 13 games.
Equally noticeable to teammates was the willingness to handle captain-like duties such as speaking with the media and setting a tone at and away from the rink.
He managed the latter, winger James Neal said, but "just being Geno" and everybody has their own idea of what that entails.
Cooke: "Any opportunity he can to bring up a situation that was funny, just to rehash it for a few laughs, he's going to do it."
Neal recalled a game when Malkin fed him for a backdoor tap-in goal and immediately started nagging him.
"First thing he said was, 'I'm open for pass back,' " Neal said. "He's always open, that's for sure. Geno always tells you he was open."
The pregame tradition of two-touch soccer contests players must kick the ball twice in the air when it comes to them provided Malkin opportunities to serve as both a ball hog, wing Chris Kunitz said, and a cut up, wing Pascal Dupuis said.
"Oh, he's a bully when we play soccer,You can find all the alexanderwangreplica you need here. always picking in a funny way at guys," Dupuis said. "He'll try to get reactions to throw you off so he can win. He was all over me about my points streak. He wants a reaction.Buy authenticmonclerjackets are becoming popular. He'll just keep picking until he gets it."
Malkin scored a reaction from nearly everybody who attended the unveiling of the Mario Lemieux statue last month. Sitting in the front row, he dressed head to toe in denim a look perfect for Pittsburgh in the early 1980s.
"To us sometimes he looks a little different, but to him he looks nice," goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said, adding the all-denim attire was not Malkin's most curious fashion decision.
"He has this royal blue I think it's leather jacket, and it's pretty tight. That's the worst."
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, once Malkin's traveling roommate, said Malkin understands North American culture better now and is more comfortable showing his true personality. He always has had a natural leadership style, albeit one that is not in the traditional fiery, rally-cry mold, Orpik said.
Crosby, no stranger to having his personality placed under a microscope, said growing into a leadership role is a "matter of being comfortable with yourself."
"Geno is," Crosby said. "He has that smile on his face and is at ease with everything going on."
As a teenager, his mom said, Malkin would complain of a sore arm and quit tennis matches against his brother late in a decisive set when defeat seemed imminent.
Since joining teammates' card games on Penguins charter flights, he has bullied his way to wins. All is well if Malkin plays the proper hand, but somebody is at fault if he does not and teammates concede defeat rather than deal with his sharp jabs or sleight-of-hand deals,Purchase Swiss Brands canadagooseparka and enjoy luxury feeling. winger Matt Cooke said.
The surest sign of Malkin's willingness to put himself over, at least in the opinion of his dad, are the nights when he sabotages his girlfriend during games of Narde,Best womenhandbags Have you spent a lot of time looking for the best replica watch for you? a two-player board game similar to backgammon.
That approach was crucial in October, when his surgically repaired right knee was slightly tweaked and forced him to miss seven games. By the time of Crosby's first comeback Nov. 21, Malkin had scored only five goals and produced just 14 points in 13 games.
Crosby played in eight games from Nov. 21-Dec. 5,Publique anuncios sobre shoppingbagfactory gratis. and Malkin surged with four goals and 10 points but it was during the next 40 contests that he made his MVP push. He produced 29 goals and 60 points in those games without Crosby, collecting three five-point performances and multiple points in 13 games.
Equally noticeable to teammates was the willingness to handle captain-like duties such as speaking with the media and setting a tone at and away from the rink.
He managed the latter, winger James Neal said, but "just being Geno" and everybody has their own idea of what that entails.
Cooke: "Any opportunity he can to bring up a situation that was funny, just to rehash it for a few laughs, he's going to do it."
Neal recalled a game when Malkin fed him for a backdoor tap-in goal and immediately started nagging him.
"First thing he said was, 'I'm open for pass back,' " Neal said. "He's always open, that's for sure. Geno always tells you he was open."
The pregame tradition of two-touch soccer contests players must kick the ball twice in the air when it comes to them provided Malkin opportunities to serve as both a ball hog, wing Chris Kunitz said, and a cut up, wing Pascal Dupuis said.
"Oh, he's a bully when we play soccer,You can find all the alexanderwangreplica you need here. always picking in a funny way at guys," Dupuis said. "He'll try to get reactions to throw you off so he can win. He was all over me about my points streak. He wants a reaction.Buy authenticmonclerjackets are becoming popular. He'll just keep picking until he gets it."
Malkin scored a reaction from nearly everybody who attended the unveiling of the Mario Lemieux statue last month. Sitting in the front row, he dressed head to toe in denim a look perfect for Pittsburgh in the early 1980s.
"To us sometimes he looks a little different, but to him he looks nice," goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said, adding the all-denim attire was not Malkin's most curious fashion decision.
"He has this royal blue I think it's leather jacket, and it's pretty tight. That's the worst."
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, once Malkin's traveling roommate, said Malkin understands North American culture better now and is more comfortable showing his true personality. He always has had a natural leadership style, albeit one that is not in the traditional fiery, rally-cry mold, Orpik said.
Crosby, no stranger to having his personality placed under a microscope, said growing into a leadership role is a "matter of being comfortable with yourself."
"Geno is," Crosby said. "He has that smile on his face and is at ease with everything going on."