Evgeni Malkin — hockey (nhl) with roots in the USSR
Evgeni Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey player born in Magnitogorsk (USSR) who has spent his entire NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. One of the most gifted offensive players in NHL history, he has won three Stanley Cups, the Hart Trophy, the Conn Smythe, and the Art Ross Trophy.
Tracing the roots — Magnitogorsk
Born in Magnitogorsk in 1986, Malkin was developed through Metallurg Magnitogorsk's elite hockey programme — a product of Russia's industrial cities' deep hockey culture. His dramatic defection from the Russian national team in 2006 to join the Penguins caused an international incident and launched one of the greatest NHL careers of his generation.
Magnitogorsk. At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.
A career defined by ambition
"Hockey is everything in Magnitogorsk. You play or you work in the factory."