Sidney Crosby on being bullied by a young Evgeni Malkin.

When it comes to active star player duos in the National Hockey League you would be hard pressed to find one more well known and well respected than fellow Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The two superstars have been together for as long as most care to remember and have unsurprisingly become quite close over their many years spent together. Things may not have always been so smooth however and with Malkin's 1000th NHL game rapidly approaching, Crosby decided to share a little anecdote about one of his first encounters with his now beloved teammate.

In a hilarious anecdote, Crosby revealed how his Russian teammate engaged in a little bullying early on in their careers, with Malkin flexing his superior pro experience in an effort to get the upper hand.

Crosby recounted a story from the first time both he and Malkin took to the ice together, a situation that created a bit of a dilemma between the two stars. You see both men wanted to be the last one to step out onto the ice but of course only one of them could do so.

"I didn't even think about it, was about to go out, and Geno was still standing there," said Crosby. "There's a little bit of a language barrier, but not a ton when it comes to that. I could tell that he wanted to go last..."

So Crosby did what any normal person would do in that situation and asked Malkin if he wanted to go last.

"Do you usually go last?" asked Crosby at the time.

Malkin had a hilarious response, especially considering the language barrier, one that made it clear that he felt he had seniority in this situation.

"Three years Super League," responded Malkin in reference to his pro experience in the former Russian Super League.

Crosby tried to negotiate a deal with his new Penguins' teammate, but apparently Malkin was simply having none of it. The talented center insisted on using his previous pro experience to bully his way into getting what he wanted.

"The three years pro in Russia, I guess, was more than the one year I played in the NHL," said Crosby. "He wasn't budging at all. I was trying, like, 'rock-paper-scissors every game?' And he was like, 'no.'"

Malkin himself effectively confirmed the story.

"We know how Sid is superstitious, he does lots of small things," said Malkin as per NHL.com. "I know it's important for him. But in Super League, I always go last. It's worked! We won three Cups, he's the best player. Happy, because we did a good job."

A very amusing story for such a special occasion, and one that I have no doubt that both Crosby and Malkin will look back at fondly for many more years to come.