20 seasons of “three big”

One of Sidney Crosby’s favorite stories about Evgeni Malkin concerns their first season together.

Crosby had arrived penultimate before going to the last at the end of his recruit campaign, where he recorded 102 points. At the start of the 2006-2007 season, Crosby thought he was going to continue to close the walk.

“I didn’t even think about it, I was about to go out and Geno was still there,” said Crosby. “There is a little linguistic barrier, but not much on this subject. I could say that he wanted to go last. I just said: ‘Are you going to last?’ And then he said to me: “Three years in Super League”.

“The three professional years in Russia, I suppose, represented more than the only year I played in the NHL. He did not move at all. I was trying, like ‘Pierre-Feuille-Cisaux in every match?’ And he said “no” to me.

At that time, Kris Letang was higher in order, before ahead of ahead of Crosby when they won their first of three Stanley Cup championships together.

Now, when the “three big ones” enter the ice this evening at Madison Square Garden to open the 2025.26-Letang, then Crosby, then Malkin-campaign-they will enter history as the oldest teammates in the main North American sports.

Crosby, Malkin and Letang are three of the 38 players in the history of NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL to have played 20 seasons with a single team – and only three to do it simultaneously.

“It’s rare and it’s definitely special,” said Crosby. “We do not see it very often in hockey, even less in any sport, really. So, I feel really grateful and lucky to have been able to play with these guys for so long, and that we have good memories together, and that we can continue to play together. It is not something that happens too often. So, I really appreciate it.”

“I always say it’s a dream to play together with the same guys, forever, you know?” said Malkin.