Evgeni Malkin Robbed from NHL 100

     As all hockey fans know, the NHL announced it's 100 Greatest All Time Players list last week. The NHL wanted to celebrate its Centennial season by announcing its top 100 players. Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Booby Orr, Gordie Howe, Sidney Crosby, and many were others were named to this legendary list. However, after the list was announced, the talk surrounded who was NOT on the list. The biggest name missing was Evgeni Malkin. Everyone was puzzled as to how this specific superstar was named off the list. When a list is created, there will always be controversy because someone who made the list but shouldn't have and someone who didn't make list but should have. The legitimacy of the list is in question when it has players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and many more over Malkin. Lets take a look how Malkin compares to a couple players on the list.                                                                                                                      Starting with Jonathan Toews, the center and captain of the Chicago Blackhawks. Toews, known for his leadership skills and defensive acumen, has captained Chicago to three Stanley Cup since 2010 which is very impressive. However, fans of any sport know championships are won as a team. As a result, fans tend to look at individual numbers for any player. No matter how you look at it, Toews numbers don't impress anyone.  In 691 regular season games, Toews has 597 points (0.86 Points per Game) and in 124 playoff games, he has 108 points (0.87). He doesn't even average a point per game throughout his career, particularly in his last 126 games he has 91 points (0.72 Points per Game). For a number one center in the NHL, these numbers are average. Some fans joke that those are numbers rookies would put up which makes his case in being on the list even worse. In terms of awards, Toews has won the Selke (Best Defensive Forward), Mark Messier Award for his leadership skills, and the Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP). No disrespect to Toews, he is a good player but shouldn't be on the list over Malkin.                                                                                      Next will be Patrick Kane, known as Toew's teammate and an offensive dynamo, has won three Stanley Cups as well. He is a more comparable player to Malkin since they play similar roles on their respective teams. In 713 regular seasons, Kane has 716 points (1.01 Points per Game) and in 123 playoff games, Kane has 121 (0.99 Points per Game). Kane barely averages a point per game in his career in the regular season and is just below a point per game in the playoffs. Kane is an extremely fun player to watch and the spotlight is on him, he delivers like he did in 2010 NHL playoffs. In terms of awards, he has more hardware than Toews. Kane has won the Calder (Best rookie), Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP), Art Ross (Lead the league in Points), Ted Lindsey (voted best player in a season, and most notably the Hart Memorial trophy as league MVP. Kane's resume shows he's good player but is nothing special.                                                                Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have solid resumes but they don't even sniff Evgeni Malkin's resume. The only edge Kane and Toews have is that they one Stanley Cup more, still doesn't change the fact that it is a team award. Evgeni Malkin, the Russian born center and nicknamed "Geno", is an animal. Malkin, known for his ability to take over games, is 14th All Time in Points per Game at an alarming rate of 1.18. Compared to Malkin, Toews and Kane couldn't even sniff his scoring touch. In the playoffs, Malkin is 20th all time in Points per game with 1.06. Malkin has scored 814 points, 217 points more than Toews and 98 more than Kane, while playing the same amount of game as Toews and 22 less games than Kane. In what world are Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane better players than Evgeni Malkin? Seriously, ask yourself that same question and realize this list was nothing more than a joke. There is only one player since 1993 that scored more than 35 points in a single postseason, Evgeni Malkin was that one. "Geno" trails only one active player in Points per Game, Sidney Crosby (1.33 Points per Game) who is unanimously the best player of this generation. In terms of awards, Malkin has won the Calder (Best rookie), Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP), Lindsey, (voted as best player in a season), the Art Ross (Most Points) twice, and the Hart as league MVP. Malkin proves he belongs on the list.                                                                                                                    Without Evgeni Malkin, the list is a joke and a marketing tool by the NHL. NHL 100 is the greatest larceny of the decade by not having the great Pittsburgh Penguin, Evgeni Malkin.

Game 2 of the ECF in the 2009 Playoffs shows the greatness of Evegeni Malkin