The Pittsburgh Penguins legend will hit another milestone this week. Ever since the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Evgeni Malkin in 2004, he has been a leader and one of the best offensive forces in franchise history. As Malkin prepares for his 1,000th career game, let’s take a look back in time at how on multiple occasions this milestone almost didn’t happen with the Penguins. Teammate Sidney Crosby talked about what Malkin has had to ‘go through’ to get to this point, and he’s right. Over the years, Malkin has seen more turmoil and adversity than people remember. The first instance of Malkin possibly not playing for the Penguins happened before he even left his home country of Russia. Malkin was drafted by the Penguins, but had a contract situation that kept him in Russia until he had to basically sneak out prior to the 2006-07 season. After an entire season missed, Malkin was finally in Pittsburgh and ready to make his NHL debut; that was until he separated his shoulder in his first preseason game. His debut was delayed but he eventually began his career and made noise immediately with the Penguins. Injuries have followed Malkin ever since; the last time he played a full 82-game season was 2008-09 when he was 22-years-old. From knee surgeries, to wrist problems, Malkin has seen his fair share of health problems. An injury prone player isn’t ideal to keep around, and the fans have been vocal about that. It seems every year the Penguins have a down year, people use Malkin as the whipping boy and hoot and holler for a trade. Year after year, Malkin comes back in a Penguins uniform and is one of the hardest working players on the team. This past summer, it seemed closer than ever that Malkin would depart the Penguins. As the opening of free agency crept up, Malkin and the Penguins had still not reached an agreement for a new contract. Many rumors flew that Malkin was possibly unhappy with the situation, or that Crosby had to get involved to sway Malkin to stay. Regardless of rumors, pen was put to paper and Malkin signed a new deal that not only kept him around for his 1,000th game, but likely his whole career. It hasn’t been an easy road, but Malkin is one of the greatest Penguins of all time and deserves many praises for his achievements. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Look to Kick Lengthy Chicago Losing Streak [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-chicago-losing-streak] Top 5 Goals of Evgeni Malkin's Career [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-evgeni-malkin-top-goals] Penguins React to Evgeni Malkin Reaching 1,000 Games [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-react-evgeni-malkin-1000-games] Evgeni Malkin Set to Play in 1,000th Career Game [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-evgeni-malkin-1000-career-game] 3 Things to Watch: Penguins vs. Blackhawks [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-3-things-watch-chicago-blackhawks] * undefined * undefined
