Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin scored his 500th career goal on Wednesday at PPG Paints against the Buffalo Sabres. With the Russian’s historic lamplighter, assisted by captain Sidney Crosby, he gave the Penguins organization three 500-goal scorers in their history.
First, Mario Lemieux reached the plateau on Oct. 26, 1995, and then 27 years later, Crosby netted his 500th on Feb. 15, 2022. After Malkin joined the club, Pittsburgh became the second franchise in NHL history after the Montreal Canadiens with three 500-goal scorers.
Historically, Maurice “Rocket” Richard became the first player to score 500 goals, setting the record on Oct. 19, 1957. Almost two decades later, Jean Beliveau tallied his milestone goal on Feb. 11, 1971, to become the fourth player with that many goals. Finally, Guy Lafleur became the third Montreal player with 500 goals on Dec. 20, 1983.
It would have been fitting for Malkin to reach the milestone at the Bell Centre during the Penguins and Canadiens’ first meeting, but he did get his 499th goal with an empty netter.
Boosting one of the best Mount Rushmore lineups in NHL history, Pittsburgh fans have been fortunate to watch some of the all-time greats wear black and gold over the past four decades.
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