Malkin Officially a Penguin

The Pittsburgh Penguins held a press conference today to announce the signing of Evgeni Malkin. Malkin arrived in Pittsburgh last night and was greeted at Pittsburgh International Airport by media and fans. Mario Lemiuex, in his first public appearance in months, presented Malkin with his #71 Penguins jersey.

Malkin answered questions for about 15 minutes via his translator. He seemed a bit nervous, but answered everything that was thrown at him. He reiterated how badly he felt after he signed the one year deal with Metallurg and looked for his first opportunity to leave, which he did in Finland. He mentioned being nervous about meeting Mario, but considered it an honor. He got to meet Sidney Crosby for the first time last night and watched him skate this morning. He is looking forward to playing with Sid, and said that he is a down to earth guy and one of the most powerful players in the NHL.

Malkin's deal is pretty much a mirror image of the one signed by Alexander Ovechkin last year. He will receive $984,000 in base salary on a three year deal. The deal includes many incentive bonuses, which could push the value close to $3.5 million for his rookie season.

Malkin will live with teammate Sergei Gonchar for at least a few months to get acclimated to North America and to learn customs etc. Pat Brisson, Malkin's agent, said that he was spending a lot of time with his Russian to English dictionary and is trying his best to learn the language.

Malkin is expected to participate in the Penguins rookie camp which begins Thursday with physicals etc. All players will take the ice Friday.