Penguins Update: What Do Evgeni Malkin and Rodney Dangerfield Have in Common?
Back in the day, Rodney Dangerfield was arguably my favorite comedian. I especially loved the old Lite Beer commercials (Tastes Great…Less Filling!!!) that often featured Rodney as the foil.
His infamous punchline?
“I don’t get no respect!”
Seems like the bug-eyed funny man had a lot in common with Penguins franchise pillar Evgeni Malkin.
Indeed, Geno has spent his entire career laboring in the very long shadow cast by fellow Two-Headed Monster Sidney Crosby. When the inevitable comparisons are made between the pair, the rangy Russian invariably suffers.
We all know the narrative.
Sid’s an on-ice Rock of Gibraltar…the best two-way player on the planet. Perhaps one of the top five players all-time. So detailed. So committed. So consistent.
Geno coasts. He floats. He pouts. He makes high-risk passes and take dumb penalties at the most inopportune times.
If Crosby’s game charts as a straight-line with scarcely a waver, Geno’s plots more like a sine wave on an oscilloscope, pitted with towering peaks and precipitous valleys.
I’m as guilty as the next Pens fan of being hyper-critical at times, focusing only on the negative aspects of his game.