Evgeni Malkin: ‘We Are Lucky That [Matt Cooke] Plays for Pittsburgh’

Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog published a translated interview with Evgeni Malkin on Wednesday, and among the many topics covered was who bothers the Penguins' star the most on the ice.

"First of all the refs, when you think they [make every] call against you," he said. "And there are players like [Sean] Avery and [Jarkko] Ruutu, who try to get under your skin the entire game. You want to hit them, too."

Malkin was then asked for his opinion on the Penguins' own agitator, one Mr. Matt Cooke.

"We are lucky that he plays for Pittsburgh," Malkin said. "If he played for another team, he would provoke us. He uses what he can do: get a person angry. He brings us power plays and we score goals. When Cooke came to our team, we won the Stanley Cup. That's why I'd vote with both hands for him to stay in Pittsburgh."

Malkin didn't ignore the fact that Cooke, who's been suspended five times in his career and is one of the most despised men in Boston for his hit on Marc Savard in March 2009, has been the author of some dirty plays.

"Of course, it happens sometimes when Cooke goes overboard — I don't know if this is psychological or some kind of anger — he is overcome with emotions on the ice," Malkin said. "I hope there won't be any more episodes like the last one."

That "last one" was an elbow to the jaw of Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Cooke earned his second suspension of the year, this one keeping him out for the remainder of the regular season (10 games) and the first round of the playoffs. The Penguins lost that series in seven games to the Lightning, and Cooke's absence was a big reason why. His selfish actions on the ice, however, haven't cost him the trust of his teammates.

"If we've won the Stanley Cup with him," Malkin said, "that means that he's a good player."