It’s been a long strange journey for Evgeni Malkin to 1,000 games. It started with hiding away in Finland in 2006, after making the difficult and emotional decision to leave the Magnitogorsk team of his youth behind and chase his dreams to play in the NHL. Now embarking on his 17th NHL season, Malkin is set tonight in Chicago to be the 370th career skater to appear in the magic 1,000 games played mark.
Heading into his 1,000th game tonight, when Evgeni Malkin reflects back on all of the moments that have happened throughout his career, his first day in the NHL stands out to him more than anything - even more than the three Stanley Cups.