Evgeni Malkin turned 40 on Friday, which gives us a convenient excuse to discuss him.Yes, Malkin is a likely future Hall of Famer, an all-time great and also among the most underrated hockey players in history. Mr. 101? Please. I can confidently say that Malkin is one of the 50 greatest players who ever lived.His popularity in Pittsburgh, however, isn’t simply a matter of those 533 goals, 1,407 points, three Stanley Cup wins, two Art Ross Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Hart Trophy.Here’s the truth about Malkin, the part of his story that remains somewhat confounding if not endearing. The guy from Russia, the guy who still speaks imperfect English, is one of the most relatable athletes in the history of Pittsburgh sports.Pittsburghers love him because they feel him. They love him because he doesn’t hide anything. They love him because they see themselves in him. Marc-Andre Fleury was like that, too, but Malkin has been here for almost a decade since Flower departed.The social improbability of such a connection with any athlete in this era is wildly low. People who have earned more than $100 million in their lives are, by nature, remarkably difficult for most people to understand or relate to. Throw in differences in culture and language, and it’s essentially a miracle that Malkin could be among the most beloved athletes in Western Pennsylvania history.Still, here we are.Sidney Crosby might be as beloved as any Pittsburgh athlete ever, but we don’t really relate to him, because we can’t comprehend what it’s like to be so seemingly perfect. He’s always been so polished and composed that we marvel at him but don’t understand him. Mario Lemieux is so distant and regal that we’ll never grasp him, and as a private person, he likes it that way. Roberto Clemente was taken from us when he was two years younger than Malkin, so his relationship with Pittsburgh is almost mythical.