Evgeni Malkin hopes the world championship gold medal he won with Russia this month will not be his last.
The Pittsburg Penguins center was the MVP at the tournament in Sweden and Finland, scoring 11 goals and eight assists to help the Russians blitz all comers and win all ten of their games.
"It's my first gold, it's really valuable for me and I hope it's not the last," Malkin said during an open-top bus parade of the championship trophy near the Kremlin.
The triumph was Russia's first at the world championships since 2009, when the Russians defeated Canada 2-1 in the final in Bern, Switzerland, and the country’s fourth title since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Malkin put the success down to top-notch coordination between Zinetula Bilyaletdinov's coaching staff and the players.
"Thanks to the coaching staff, who did some incredible work in analyzing every single match," said a suited and booted Malkin.
"We just carried out their work, and we're just one amazing collective, and thanks to the fans who came to Sweden and Finland to support us we took the gold."
The trophy parade wound down the Russian capital's central thoroughfare of Tverskaya Street before the players disembarked to take part in a victory concert on a square next the Kremlin walls.
Appropriately, Malkin scored Russia's final goal in a 6-2 demolition of Slovakia in the final, rounding off a tournament that cemented his status as the world's top forward.
His teammate, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, insisted that Russia's NHL contingent will continue to turn out for the national team.
"We're all like this. If we get the chance we take up the invitation."
Malkin and Datsyuk joined up with the squad at the last minute after their teams crashed out of the NHL playoffs.
