On paper, you’d think the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Pittsburgh Penguins superstar would have the upper hand over a seven-year-old kid, no matter the youngster’s rating on the feistiness scale.
But Evgeni Malkin got a little more fight-back than he bargained for, when he picked a scrap with a child during a recent Russian charity game waged between Team Malkin and Team Kovalchuk. (See video above.)
The handshake line formality get ugly when Malkin delivers a gloved right to No. 36’s head. Refusing to bow down, the shorter combatant turns and engages Malkin in a battle that leads to dropped gloves, discarded sticks and requires the refs to break it up.
Despite the height disadvantage, the boy turns the tables on Malkin at the end.