The Trifecta of Talent: Penguins have three 500-goal scorers in the last 40 years

In case you missed it, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin scored his 500th goal in Wednesday night's overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Malkin is the third Penguins player to score 500 goals, completing the trifecta of talent that has graced Pittsburgh ice in the past 40 years beginning with Mario Lemieux from 1984-1997 and 2001-2006 and Malkin's teammate Sidney Crosby.

How does one franchise draft, develop, and keep three legends of the sport in Pittsburgh while enjoying so much success? It is a remarkable accomplishment that only the Montreal Canadians have duplicated.

Pittsburgh's tricks of the trade: successful drafting, coaching, mentoring

The Penguins have benefitted from drafting well. For Lemieux, Crosby, and Mulkin to be successful, there were complimentary players over the years that helped the team succeed. Jaromir Jagr was also drafted by the Penguins in 1990 and experienced great success in 806 games with the Penguins through 2001.

Solid coaching through the years has also been present in Pittsburgh. The Penguins current head coach, Mike Sullivan, has been at the helm since the beginning of the Crosby and Malkin era in 2006. He is the winningest coach in Penguins franchise history with 378 career wins (and counting). He assumed the role of winningest coach in 2021 after overtaking Dan Bylsmia who had 252 wins from 2009 to 2014.

Mentoring young players has helped also. Mario Lemieux holds every possible record in franchise history. As a player and part owner, Lemieux offered a room at his house for the teenage Crosby who stayed with the Lemieux family for years. Lemieux, 59, often viewed Crosby, 37, more like a son and has always cheered for his success.

Crosby and Malkin thrived together; egos did not get in the way

Egos are usually commonplace in professional sports. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin never appeared to let ego get in the way of being good teammates.

Having two future Hall of Famers the same age and members of the same team for nearly two decades is unheard of. Malkin had the assist for Crosby's 500th goal and Crosby had the assist on his 500th.

Lemieux, Crosby, and Malkin are at the top of the Penguins Mount Rushmore of legends. Despite free agency and the modern business of professional hockey, this organization has proved it can draft and develop legends generation after generation so there should be more to come.