Nine years ago, Penguins center Evgeni Malkin needed a landlord and a translator.
He got one in defenseman Sergei Goncha, a veteran who took Malkin, then a rookie, into his home and helped his fellow Russian adjust to life in North America on and off the ice.
“I always say [if] Gonchar [didn’t] help me, [if] he [didn’t] play in Pittsburgh, I maybe [don’t] win rookie of [the] year,” Malkin said. “I maybe [don’t] win a couple more trophies because he helped me a lot. Off ice, I was with him. He translates sometimes to me. If [he didn’t] play here, I’m a little bit scared because it’s just myself.