One of the less-discussed casualties of the Phil Kessel trade is the strange, entertaining bond he and Evgeni Malkin forged during his four years in Pittsburgh.
The two were a true odd couple playing on the same line for two Penguins Stanley Cup runs. They produced some beautiful hockey during their ice-time together and some hilarious content via their social media antics.
The silliness that permeates their friendship was personified by Malkin’s goodbye Instagram post after it was announced that Kessel had been traded to the Arizona Coyotes. It contained a heartfelt caption accompanied by a video of Kessel intensely jawing at no one in particular during a 2017 Penguins playoff game.
Malkin atoned with complete sincerity when he commented “love you” with a crying emoji not once, but twice on Kessel’s own farewell Instagram post.
Their time together will mostly be remembered for the way they constantly pushed each other to be better and their lighthearted prank wars, most of which Kessel seemed to lose emphatically.
The two were as good as any duo in the NHL at creating highlights, like this two-man demolition of the Boston Bruins’ defense in December 2019.
Though the two generally played well together, Malkin was always quick to call out Kessel if he felt his buddy needed a little extra motivation. In October 2017, he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the way they were playing was simply “not working” and “we need to change our game.”
These two were never afraid to show their affection for each other when times were good. Who can forget Malkin celebrating a goal in the 2017 Stanley Cup by literally punching Kessel in the face?
Evgeni Malkin punches TWO TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Phil Kessel in the face celebrating. pic.twitter.com/fCViDOnzAW
— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) June 12, 2017
The best Kessel could do in return was spray Malkin with champagne in the locker room. Again, Kessel generally seemed to be on the losing end of these mini confrontations with his big Russian friend.
When Kessel tweeted out a photo of Malkin’s “lonely folding chair” right before the 2017 playoffs started, Malkin responded by turning his locker into the Penguins’ new “strength and conditioning center.” Game, set, match.
The only thing @PKessel81 is missing is his hot dogs 🌭🌭🌭🐦🐦🐦 pic.twitter.com/JH0nNPyezw
— Evgeni Malkin (@emalkin71geno) April 7, 2017
Kessel couldn’t even retaliate when Malkin filmed him hanging out in a cryogenic chamber and put it on social media.
Penguins fans will hopefully never forget what Malkin and Kessel did for the franchise. It would also be a shame if their odd yet endearing friendship never gets a chance to blossom again.
If nothing else, they’ll always have Nashville.
Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel part 2 is NSFW pic.twitter.com/aGbaCIee41
— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) June 12, 2017
First Published: July 2, 2019, 12:58 a.m.
