Emperor penguins can live up to about 20 years in the wild.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a trio who have officially embraced that lifespan.
On Tuesday night, when the Penguins take to the ice for their 2025-26 NHL season opener, it'll mark 20 years together for a storied trio.
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will have been teammates for 20 years.
That has never happened before in the NHL, or in the NBA, NFL or MLB, for that matter.
Tonight, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin & Kris Letang will become the first trio of NHL teammates to play 20 seasons together 👏 pic.twitter.com/5uXMsotyCS
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 7, 2025
It's been an incredible run.
The Penguins have won three Stanley Cups since this trio arrived in town.
Crosby showed up first. The Penguins drafted him No. 1 overall in 2005.
Malkin actually had been drafted No. 2 overall the year prior, but he didn't come to the NHL from Russia until 2006.
Letang was a draft gem, having been taking in the third round (No. 62 pick) in 2005. He took a year before getting called up to the NHL in 2006 as well.
Crosby has since accumulated 625 goals, 1,062 assists and 1,687 points.
Malkin has 514 goals and 832 assists for 1,346 points.
And for Letang, it has been 175 goals and 597 assists for 772 points as a defenseman.
Expectations aren't as high now as they once were. The Penguins are a mixture of timelines, the old guys with a bunch of players who may not be up to their level.
But each time they take the ice this season, there'll be a feel of history to it, along with a curiosity about how much longer these legends of the game will keep skating.
For now, it's a sight to behold, something to appreciate, something that hasn't been done before.
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