Crosby, Malkin, Letang appreciative for another trip to Sweden with Penguins

STOCKHOLM -- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have experienced a lot together during their 20 seasons as teammates with the Pittsburgh Penguins and are excited to begin another adventure after arriving Tuesday for the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal.

The Penguins (9-5-3) will face the Nashville Predators (5-9-4) at Avicii Arena on Friday (2 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN) and Sunday (9 a.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN), the first time in 17 years Crosby, Malkin and Letang will play here.

Crosby, Malkin, and Letang were also part of first NHL regular-season games played in Sweden when the Penguins opened 2008-09 by playing two games against the Ottawa Senators in the 2008 NHL Premiere. Although Crosby played in Stockholm as recently as the 2025 IIHF World Championship with Canada, he hasn’t been back here with Malkin and Letang since those two games in 2008.

“It’s fun,” Crosby said after the Penguins practiced at Hovet Arena. “We probably thought we were going to do a ton of stuff like this when you start off the way we did with the Winter Classic and the outdoor games and coming over here. We probably thought, ‘Well, this is going to be an every-other-year type of thing,’ and it doesn’t always work out that way.”

These will be the 17th and 18th NHL regular-season games played in Stockholm, which is the most of any city outside North America. NHL regular-season games in Europe were a novelty in 2008, though.

Before the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings opened the 2007-08 season with two games in London, the only NHL regular-season games played outside of North America were played in Japan in 1997, 1998 and 2000. There had been preseason games played previously in Sweden, but Crosby remembered the anticipation ahead of those first games in the country that counted in the standings.

“It was a fairly new concept and pretty cool to be a part of that,” he said. “Similar to playing in the first Winter Classic (Jan. 1, 2008), doing something that really hadn’t been done before. So, it was a great experience being over here for a week and I really enjoyed it.”

Malkin scored, and Crosby had an assist to help Pittsburgh defeat Ottawa 4-3 in overtime in the first game. Then, Crosby and Malkin each had an assist on Pittsburgh’s lone goal (scored by defenseman Alex Goligoski) in a 3-1 loss in the second game.

But that trip, which began the Penguins’ road toward the first of three Stanley Cup championships Crosby, Malkin and Letang have shared (2009, 2016, 2017), was about more than the results of the games.

“It’s a trip that allows your team to get together and spend a little bit more time getting to know every single individual, whether it’s like staff or new teammates,” Letang said. “So, it’s always a fun time.”

As special as playing in these NHL Global Series games will be for Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson and Predators defenseman Adam Wilsby and forward Filip Forsberg because they are from Sweden, it will also a rare and, perhaps, final opportunity for fans in the country to see Crosby, Malkin and Letang play together in person.

“I think over the next few days here before we start playing some games, you’re going to see a lot of excitement,” Pittsburgh forward Bryan Rust said. “You go out with those guys places and there’s always people stopping them and asking them for autographs and you feel like the crowd is a little bit bigger when they’re around. There’s going to be people in the street who probably recognize Sid especially.

“I think it’s going to be a fun opportunity for everyone.”

All three players could be headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame someday. Crosby ranks first among active NHL players with 1,707 points (636 goals, 1,071 assists) in 1,369 games, and Malkin is third with 1,367 points (517 goals, 850 assists) in 1,230 games. Letang is fourth among active defensemen with 780 points (176 goals, 604 assists) in 1,178 games.

And all three have played key roles in the Penguins’ strong start through 17 games this season. Malkin leads them with 21 points (three goals, 18 assists); Crosby is second with 20 points (11 goals, nine assists). Letang has eight points (one goal, seven assists) and is second on the team in time on ice per game (21:38).

“I played against them, so that kind of tells you how long they’ve been around,” said Predators coach Andrew Brunette, a former forward who played 16 NHL seasons before retiring in 2012. “They’ve done everything in this game, and I think as a fan, maybe not as a coach, it’s fun to see them revitalized.”

There’s also an understanding that this season could be the last ride for Crosby, Malkin and Letang together. Malkin is in the final season of his contract, and it’s unclear if he will be re-signed.

They each understand they are nearing the end of their careers. Crosby and Letang are 38; Malkin is 39. So, they want to make the most of trips like this one.

“Obviously, you never know how long you’re going to play in this league for, and whether it’s a Winter Classic or a trip to Europe like this, you want to embrace this moment,” Letang said.

“Being in a different place experience-wise and the different things that we’ve gone through over our careers, I think it’s something that means a lot to have this opportunity,” Crosby said. “And playing with some of the guys who are from the area, getting to share that with them and seeing what it means to them as well and being able to share that, I think, is special.”