When Pittsburgh Penguins‘ center Evgeni Malkin made his NHL debut on Oct. 18, 2006, it was impossible to predict that – two decades later – one of the rarest stories in professional sports would still be ongoing.
But, 20 years later, the beat goes on for Malkin and the “Big Three” in Pittsburgh – and now, they’re being celebrated.
In their home opener against the New York Islanders on Oct. 9, the Penguins will celebrate 20 years of Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Kris Letang all playing together for the same franchise. Since the day Malkin entered the league – he was the last of the three to make his debut – Crosby, Malkin, and Letang have combined to play in 3,726 NHL games and combined for 3,703 points – which is the highest point total for a trio of single-team teammates in NHL history.
The Penguins will celebrate the longest-tenured trio in North American professional sports history with a pre-game ceremony, and they will also offer various food, ticket, and prizes packages throughout the game and some throughout the season starting Oct. 9.
Malkin, Crosby, and Letang have expiring contracts in consecutive seasons, beginning with Malkin’s at the end of the 2025-26 season and Letang’s at the end of the 2027-28 season. Penguins’ GM and POHO Kyle Dubas said that the organization will revisit Malkin’s contract situation during the 2026 Olympic break to gauge whether or not he plans to retire at the end of the season.
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