By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On the night of June 12, when he became one of the most unlikely Game 7 heroes in Stanley Cup final history, Max Talbot made an entire city smile and one wonderfully creative advertising agency cry.
The terrific television ad campaign the past two NHL seasons, starring Talbot for a local car dealership, was hilarious and memorable because the grinding Talbot passed himself off as a hockey superstar in his own goofball way.
Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette
Penguins forward Max Talbot is handed a sign that says "Superstar Treatment" from members of the crowd during the Penguins Stanley Cup victory parade on the Boulevard of the Allies in downtown Pittsburgh on Monday, June 15.
Well, it's not so hilarious now, is it?
Not after Talbot scored both goals in the Penguins' 2-1 Game 7 win in Detroit to secure their third Cup in franchise history and his place for eternity in NHL lore.
While the advertising agency probably is scrambling to save its hard work -- "There might be a new commercial coming out soon," Talbot said, grinning as he gave away his little secret -- Pittsburgh will say thank you to its newest sports legend tonight when he's introduced with the rest of the Penguins before their season-opening game against the New York Rangers. Talbot won't play because of offseason shoulder surgery, but he still figures to get a Crosby-, Malkin- and Fleury-like ovation that will rock old Mellon Arena.
"I heard Hines Ward on the radio the other day," Talbot was saying about the Steelers' redoubtable receiver during a break from his rehab. "I never met him, but that guy seems so cool. He said his life is like Forrest Gump's. Things just keep happening to him.
"Well, that's me, too. That's how I feel. All these great things keep happening to me. I'm like, 'Wow! What am I doing here? I'm a nobody.' "
That was Talbot's appeal to the car dealership. After joining the Penguins for the 2005-06 season, he quickly became popular with fans because of his work ethic and his willingness to do the dirty work as a role player on a checking line and as a penalty-killer. Clearly, it wasn't because of his skill.
"You can just call me Max or Superstar," Talbot says in one of the commercials. Later, he talks of getting "Superstar treatment" from the dealership, his signature line in the bit.
It's funny stuff, especially when you consider this:
"[Teammate Evgeni Malkin] was right last year when he said I have no hands," Talbot said.
You could have fooled the Red Wings when Talbot slapped those two goals by goaltender Chris Osgood early in Game 7 for a 2-0 lead that Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made stand up.
Funny thing is, Talbot practically predicted he would do something special the morning of the game.
"TSN [the Canadian cable-TV sports outlet] asked me who I thought was going to be the hero that night," he said. "I told them I liked to think it was going to be me."
That's not as crazy as those clever car ads would have you believe. Talbot has a track record. Before Game 7 in Detroit, he was best known in the '09 playoffs for his fight with Philadelphia's Daniel Carcillo in Game 6 of the first round -- "I got my [fanny] kicked, but it might have been a series-changer," he said -- but he also had scored six goals, including the clincher in Game 4 in the second-round series against the Washington Capitals. In the Cup final against Detroit a year earlier, he scored the tying goal in epic Game 5 with 34.3 seconds left, giving the Penguins a chance to win in the third overtime. As a player in juniors, he twice was named MVP of the playoffs as his team won consecutive championships.
"It's all mental," Talbot said. "You score enough big goals, you start believing you can keep doing it."
Just like that, Talbot became an A-list celebrity. "People would come up to me and say, 'Thank you so much. You won the Cup for us,' " he said. "That was nice and I appreciated it, but hockey is such a team game."
It's human nature that fans would gravitate to Talbot. Everybody wants to be associated with a winner, especially when he's the guy who scores the big goals. Beyond that, Talbot is extremely likable. His silly smiles in those television commercials added to their charm and probably sold a few extra cars.
Talbot put his fame to good use. The golf tournament he has in Montreal -- his hometown -- with defenseman Bruno Gervais of the New York Islanders raised $80,000 for the Autism Society. Then, on his Cup day -- July 31 -- he was the star of a parade that attracted 10,000 people and raised $15,000 for Canada's version of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Still, Talbot managed to squeeze in his own dream time with the Cup. He rented a private island on the St. Lawrence River and threw a party for 400 of his family members and closest friends. He brought in six bands to provide entertainment, including Simple Plan.
"It was like a wedding," Talbot said. "The party of the year. The whole day was great. I wouldn't change anything. It was the second-best day of my life."
June 12 being No. 1, of course.
Now, Talbot is planning to do it all again. He said he has no doubt the Penguins can win another Cup. "With Sid Crosby as our captain, I know we'll never be satisfied."
It about kills Talbot that he won't be able to help Crosby and their teammates until probably early December. He had surgery to repair multiple tears in his left labrum July 7.
The early stages of the rehab were difficult. Talbot had to wear a sling and sleep in a chair for two weeks. But he says that was a small price to pay to be free of the annoying pain that has bothered him for most of his pro career. He said his shoulder popped out twice last season, the second time after he took a faceoff during the playoff series against the Capitals.
No one knew it, of course.
Talbot played on.
That's what a grinder does.
Check that.
That's what a superstar does.
Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
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First published on October 2, 2009 at 12:00 am
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