PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are a decade into a partnership that has helped guide the Pittsburgh Penguins to a pair of Stanley Cups, three combined MVP awards, four scoring titles and a seemingly endless wave of goals.

“At the end of the day we both chose to be here and want to play together and that’s not always the case on every team,” Crosby said Tuesday. “I think there’s a lot of respect there.”

A sentiment that will be put to the test — at least briefly — when Crosby and Team Canada face Malkin and Team Russia in a World Cup of Hockey exhibition tonight at Consol Energy Center, the final tuneup for both squads before the tournament opens later this week.