Sidney Crosby often gets most of the attention in Pittsburgh. This has sometimes made Evgeni Malkin’s career go under the radar. Malkin, now 39, will be starting his 20th NHL season in 2025-26. He has built an impressive career with the Penguins, dominating for years alongside Crosby and Kris Letang.Speaking on Wednesday's NHL Network broadcast, former teammate Mike Rupp spoke about Malkin. Rupp called Malkin a fierce competitor and shared a story from summer skates in 2009 after the Penguins won their first Cup in the Crosby-Malkin-Letang era."He's a fierce competitor... that's what makes these guys great. They're talented, but, man, they want it, right?" Rupp said. "I remember a quick little story of Gino... So, they win the Cup in '09. And I signed that summer. We're doing summer skates where it's just pretty much the guys out there."Evgeni Malkin knocked Rupp down in practice after losing the puck. Malkin later apologized, but it showed how much he wanted to win. Rupp said Malkin always tries to dominate every shift."But the point being is, like, that he came up to me after, 'I'm sorry.' You know, he's apologizing, but he just wants to win. He wants to dominate every time he can." Rupp said.Rupp even compared Evgeni Malkin’s 2009 playoff run to Connor McDavid’s recent performances. Malkin scored 36 points in 24 playoff games that year. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. McDavid has scored over 30 points in each of the last two Stanley Cup playoffs.Rupp said it was one of the most dominant playoff runs he has seen. He believes Malkin’s peak play was as special as McDavid’s."But I've never seen, even probably to right now, a more dominant performance in the '09 playoffs," said Rupp, who was playing for New Jersey that year. "We're seeing what Connor is doing right now, and it's, in all due respect, he's the best player in the world. Gino kind of did something similar to that a while ago.""When this guy was high-stepping out there, he was dominant. He physically can dominate. And man, he was a force out there," Rupp added.Despite Crosby's fame, Evgeni Malkin's career puts him among all-time greatsEvgeni Malkin has stayed productive even as he has aged. He passed 1,300 career points last season at age 38. He became the first Russian-born player to record 800 assists. He also joined the 500-goal club and remains one of the Penguins’ top players.What Rupp said about Malkin's drive is genuine, and it makes him unique. Crosby is often seen as the face of the Penguins, but Malkin’s career puts him among the NHL’s all-time greats. Malkin has won three Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy. He has also passed 100 points in a season three times.