Talbot Always Gets Superstar Treatment

So I'm watching the morning Sportscenter, and after going through the highlights of Friday's Game 7, I hear Neil Everett drop the following line: "I just Googled Max Talbot to find out more about him and the first thing I find is a bunch of pictures of him shirtless, kissing girls, so he must be the dude."

Now you know, Neil. Now you know. With his performance in Pittsburgh's 2-1 win on Friday night, Talbot wrote his chapter in Penguins history by scoring both goals in the deciding game of the Stanley Cup final. While this puts him on the NHL map, he's has been a superstar in Pittsburgh for the past two seasons, not only for his gritty, hard-working style of play, but for his flawless performances as a spokesperson (sort of) for A & L Motors in Pittsburgh.

First, during the 2007-08 season, Talbot, along with teammates Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin and Colby Armstrong took part in this somewhat awkward sales pitch that seems to make Alex Ovechkin's Eastern Motors spot look like an Oscar-worthy performance. Then, this season, came the sequel:



Superstar treatment, indeed.

An eighth-round pick (234th overall) in 2002, Talbot has 80 points (42 goals, 38 assists) in 262 regular season games, while he's developed a knack for coming through in big situations for the Penguins. In 24 playoff games this year, Talbot scored eight goals (including four against Detroit) while he was also responsible for sending game 5 of the '08 Stanley Cup final to overtime when he scored the game-tying goal with just under 30 seconds to play in regulation.

And, yeah, the ladies seem to love him.