Evgeni Malkin takes Top 100 snub in stride

It wasn't the potential addition to his resume that bothered Evgeni Malkin.

It was the suit.

The Pittsburgh Penguins star delivered an affable response when asked about his exclusion from the NHL 100 Greatest Players list after practice Monday.

"I try to forget," Malkin laughed, according to the PHWA's Angie Carducci. "I'm proud what the team say, what Mario say. I'm proud that my family, parents, and friends support me.

"I did my best. What I can do is nothing. One hundred players is legend; they deserve to be on the list. Maybe I win a couple more trophies, a couple more Stanley Cups, and maybe next year, the NHL 101 year, and they send me a great black jacket and I will be No. 101."

Even without winning another major individual award, or adding a third Stanley Cup to the ledger, many believe Malkin has already earned the distinction of "No. 101."

A former Hart Trophy winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and two-time scoring champion, Malkin ranks 16th all time in points per game, scoring at a higher rate than four of the five active forwards who walked out onto the stage in L.A. wearing a suit jacket with the NHL's centennial anniversary logo stitched to the front.