Sidney Crosby has often been considered the greatest player in the world of hockey. He has won numerous scoring titles and the Hart Trophy on a few occasions. He also has a Stanley Cup to his name. However, there is one award that Crosby has not managed to attain: the Conn Smythe trophy for Stanely Cup playoffs MVP.

During Crosby's Stanely Cup run with the Pittsburgh Penguins, his play was overshadowed by that of Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin. Here is a look at Malkin's heroics in the posteseason for the Penguins.

Malkin entered the playoffs as the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner with 113 points in the regular season. He continued his torrid scoring pace in the first round against the Philadelphia by registering points in each of the first three games; he scored a total of four goals and three assists in those opening games as the Penguins ran out to a 2-1 series lead. He would fail to score goals in the following two games but managed to put up two assists in the decisive Game 6. He would finish the series with nine points in six games and a 25 percent shooting success rate.

The second round was dominated by the Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin storyline. Both of those superstars had huge performances in the series but Malkin continued to put together impressive numbers throughout. He failed to score in the first two games, but still put together two assists in that span. He finally scored his first goal of the series on May 6, 2009 after putting up nine shots in the game; Pittsburgh would win that game 3-2. He was shutout in Game 4, but exploded for a goal and an assist in a Game 5 victory; Malkin scored the game winner in that match. He would continue his scoring rate with three assists in Game 6 and would add two assists in the decisive Game 7.

Up to that point, Crosby was seen as a clear candidate to be Pittsburgh's MVP. However, Malkin would dominate in the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes as he extended his scoring streak to six games; he scored a total of nine points in the first three games against the Hurricanes including a hat trick in Game 3; he scored two game-winning goals in that series as well. He was shutout in Game 4, but was the most dominant player on the ice throughout that series.

In the Final against Detroit, Malkin continued his terrific play. While Crosby started to fade and was held pointless throughout the series, Malkin continued to thrive. He scored seven points in the first four games of the series before failing to score in Games 5 and 6. However, he would get another assist in the decisive Game 7 and would finish his tally with 14 goals and 22 assists in 24 playoff games. His 36 points is the highest point total since Mario Lemieux put up 44 points in 1990-91. Of all the Conn Smythe Winners, Malkin's 36 points are the fourth highest of any MVP winner; only Lemieux and Gretzky (who had 43 and 47 points in two different playoff runs) have had more.