Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang joined Penguins owner Mario Lemieux and Malkin's family to honor the Penguins center for reaching the milestone before Pittsburgh's game against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Malkin became the 88th NHL player, and fifth Russian-born player, to score 1,000 NHL points when he got the secondary assist on Kessel's goal in the Penguins' 5-3 win against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
After a highlight montage, the Penguins flooded Malkin with gifts to mark his achievement. Lemieux, the Hall of Fame forward and Penguins leader with 1,723 career points, presented Malkin with a Tiffany crystal and custom plaque commemorating his achievement.
Having Lemieux on hand was big both for Malkin and his dad Vladimir.
"It's nice, but not just for me but for my father," Malkin told
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"He's told me he watched when Mario played, and he always said he was his choice for best player in the world. … So it was amazing for my family too."
Malkin got a golden stick from Crosby, who scored his 1,000th point Feb. 16, 2017, a custom stickholder from Kessel, and the jersey he wore in the game on Tuesday from Letang.
Letang, Crosby and Lemieux were all part of the organization when Malkin joined in 2006-07, adding a nostalgic element to the event.
"It's amazing, I've played here for 13 years," Malkin said. "I remember my first day I reported, I [went] to [Lemieux's] house, and we met each other and Sidney Crosby was here too. The whole time we're like great friends and we're together. It's like a big family here."
