The Pittsburgh Penguins had the worst record in the NHL in 2003-04 but failed to win the draft lottery and ended up with the second overall pick. Lucky enough, they ended up with one of the best “consolation prizes” in NHL draft history by being in position to select Evgeni Malkin on this date now 21 years ago in 2004.
What a journey it has been since then. Malkin stayed in Russia for two seasons, then literally made his escape in order to realize his dream of playing in the NHL. In his book ‘King of Russia: A Year in the Russian Super League’, Dave King (which, highly recommended if you want a fun summer hockey read, by the way) shares plenty of stories about a young, ambitious Malkin during the 2005-06 season.