Malkin hungry for more Cups

Evgeni Malkin has his name etched onto the Stanley Cup three times.
And he's hungry for more.

"I hope a couple more. We try every year," Malkin said. "I don't want to be a guy that wins three Cups and (coasts), just be a nice guy. I want to be a good player in the next five, six years.
"I'm trying my best to dominate every game. I want to be a leader, a top center in this league for the next five, six years."
And while he was happy to see his fellow countryman Alex Ovechkin finally win a Stanley Cup, the Pens' failure to three-peat still haunts him.
"I'm glad finally Washington won. They have a great team," said Malkin, who admitted he doesn't watch the playoffs after the Pens are eliminated. "Of course, I'm upset. I felt that if we beat Washington we would have a chance to win."

Malkin, 32, is entering his 13th NHL season, and is coming off of one of his best campaigns in 2017-18. He posted 42 goals and 98 points - both ranking fourth overall in the entire league.
"Last year in the regular season I had a good game, but I'm not happy with what I did in the playoffs," Malkin acknowledged. "Against Philly I could play better in the playoffs. Our line didn't show our best game."
Perhaps the reason Malkin wasn't at his best in the playoffs was due to an injury. The Magnitogorsk native suffered a knee injury in Game 5 of the First Round against Philadelphia after the Flyers' Jori Lehtera fell awkwardly on top of him.
Malkin missed the next three games before returning against Washington in the Second Round, but he was clearly hobbled by the injury.
"I felt pain in my knee. It's never fun to play with an injury," Malkin said. "It's not a crazy injury, but I couldn't push my right leg.
"I can't say I played bad, but I tried my best. I couldn't play my game because I couldn't skate hard."
When asked if his knee is 100 percent now, Malkin responded, "One thousand percent."
While his knee may be healed, Malkin's teeth have seen better days.
A week before training camp he was the recipient of an inadvertent slash to the face during one of the team's informal practices. Then, after the opening faceoff of a scrimmage on Saturday, Malkin took another accidental high stick - this time from veteran Matt Cullen - that knocked out two of his teeth.
Regardless of the aesthetics, Malkin was in good spirits while speaking with the media on Sunday afternoon.
"It's training camp. Guys play hard," he said. "It's not easy playing against young guys. It's a battle. A couple high sticks to my face. It's OK. I have fun being here, and I'm excited for the regular season."
Luckily for Malkin, the two teeth that were dislodged from his mouth were already fake, replacing previously lost chompers. And they were quickly replaced in an hour's worth of dental work.
"(Cullen) broke a couple of my teeth. It's all fake," Malkin said. "I just fixed it (Saturday). It's an easy one hour. It's hockey. (Cullen) said sorry. We are good friends. I understand. It's just bad luck."
For now, Malkin will put his modeling career on hold, and focus solely on winning Stanley Cups. That doesn't mean he can't walk the runway in the future.
Malkin said with a smile: "Maybe after when I'm (retired)."