PITTSBURGH — A year ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins entered the season with Stanley Cup aspirations — even though the team had not even qualified for the playoffs the previous three seasons.

This season, the expectations are tempered as the team began preparing for the season with its first full practice session Friday.

"I met with the players and told them I want to be recognized first of all as a team that works hard," coach Michel Therrien said. "If we get to the playoffs because of that, good. But the one thing I want to be recognized as is a team that works hard. Training camp is where that all starts."

The Penguins should be better thanks to an extra year of seasoning from a bigger, stronger Sidney Crosby and with the addition of much-ballyhooed 20-year-old Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 draft, finally signed with Pittsburgh last week after escaping the club he was playing for in his native Russia.

As expected, Malkin impressed his new teammates and coaches and the couple hundred fans who showed up at Mellon Arena.

"He's got such good vision with the puck and good vision without the puck," Therrien said. "He's one of those players that has that sense. He knows what's going to happen on the ice, and he works hard."

Malkin was on a line with Mark Recchi and Ryan Malone, while Crosby played with Colby Armstrong and Nils Ekman.

Malkin looked smooth and accomplished during the practice, and some teammates were not afraid to make comparisons between Crosby and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux.