#ruslan fedotenko

Former Penguin Ruslan Fedotenko was in town Saturday for the reunion of the 2009 Stanley Cup-winning team and planned to dine with Malkin later in the day. Fedotenko, now retired and living in Tampa, has noticed several changes in Malkin, one of them his command of English and his willingness to use it. “He was pretty quiet in English,” Fedotenko said during Saturday’s practice. “He was pretty loud in Russian, and outspoken. I was like, ‘Geno, nobody understands you except me and [Sergei Gonchar].’ ” Also, maturity. Malkin talked Friday about how being 7-month-old Nikita’s dad has changed him. No more restaurants. No more quiet time at home. A lot of chasing the ever-mobile Nikita. Fedotenko can see fatherhood having an effect, too. “He had that personality, goofy, like a kid, and now he’s a dad,” Fedotenko said. “He definitely matured. He’s still kind of kept that persona between us and how he jokes and everything else, but obviously he knows when it’s mature time, and when he needs to be more grown-up.” On the ice, Malkin has seemingly adjusted how he goes about his business. At least in terms of not forcing things and playing a smarter game. “He’s not trying to do too much himself,” Fedotenko said. “Sometimes I remember the team would be struggling and he’s just trying to do too much himself. He learned how he can make other players even better. He’s so good, he makes all the players around him even better. As long as he sticks with that, he’s so effective. He learned how to use that on a consistent basis.”