The Mad Gaming SuperStar

Maxime Talbot Center  - PIT (TAL-buht, MAX-eem) Video › Number: 25 Height: 5' 11" Weight: 190 Shoots: Left Born: Feb 11, 1984  (Age 25) Birthplace: Lemoyne, QC, Canada

Drafted: PIT / 2002 NHL Entry Draft

Nicknames: The Gamer, Mad Max, Mr. Clutch, The Superstar

Place of Residence:Above Mario's Bar and Grill in Pittsburgh, PA





 

Maxime Talbot (born February 11, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Talbot led the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques to back-to-back President's Cups while earning the Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP both years. He won the Stanley Cup in his fourth season with the Penguins in 2009.

Playing career

QMJHL

Talbot was selected by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the first round of the 2000 QMJHL Draft. At the trading deadline that year, Talbot was dealt to the Hull Olympiques for current Washington Capitals minor league player Alexandre Giroux.^[1] He completed his major junior rookie season with a combined 37 points between the two teams. Before the start of the 2002–03 season started, he was named team captain for the Olympiques and finished the year with a major junior career-high 46 goals and 104 points in 69 games, good for fifth in league scoring and QMJHL Second All-Star Team honours.^[1] In the playoffs that year, Talbot led the league in scoring with 44 points in 20 games as he captained the Olympiques to a QMJHL Championship, earning the Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP. Playing the Kitchener Rangers in the final of the subsequent 2003 Memorial Cup, they were defeated by a 6–3 score.

In the 2003–04 season, Talbot finished third in scoring in the QMJHL with 98 points (25 goals, 73 assists) in 51 games as the team became the Gatineau Olympiques through almagamation. He led the team to a second consecutive QMJHL championship, while being named playoff MVP and leading the league in post-season scoring once more. He was the first to earn back-to-back Guy Lafleur Trophies since Marc Saumier in 1987 and 1988.^[1] The Olympiques were, however, defeated for the second straight year in the Memorial Cup final, losing to the Kelowna Rockets 2–1.

Pittsburgh Penguins

As the 2004–05 season approached, Talbot was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins and was assigned to make his debut with the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was assigned to various linemates and was placed in many role playing opportunities.^[1] He did not have the offensive power in the AHL that he did in the QMJHL, but Talbot showed quality traits in other aspects of the game as he finished the his debut season with 19 points (7 goals, 12 assists) in 75 games.^[1]

With an impressive training camp, Talbot made the Penguins opening roster for the 2005–06 season, making his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils. He scored his first NHL goal on October 14, 2005, from center ice against the Philadelphia Flyers. His primary role during his rookie season was that of a penalty killer.^[1] He would later be sent back down to the AHL after 48 games in the NHL, during which time he recorded 8 points (5 goals, 3 assists).

Talbot did not start the 2006–07 season in the NHL, but was recalled by Pittsburgh on October 24, 2006, just 5 games into the AHL season.^[2] He would play that same night against the New Jersey Devils. Talbot continued to play a key role on the penalty kill, recording 4 shorthanded goals to go with a season total of 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists).

Talbot at the Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Parade on June 15, 2009.

Talbot scored four goals in the first five games of the 2007–08 season. He was the part of an on-ice prank on December 1, 2007, when he briefly donned the jersey of teammate Sidney Crosby during an optional practice that Crosby had chosen to skip. He initially drew a large cheer from the crowd in Toronto before they realized the jersey switch.

In game three of the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Talbot scored a backhand goal against Ottawa Senators goaltender Martin Gerber less than five minutes after the Senators had taken the lead in that game. In the Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, Talbot scored a tie-breaking (and ultimately game winning) goal in the third period of game two. He did this in his first game back from a broken foot that had sidelined him for the previous four playoff games. In game five of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings, he scored the tying goal with 35 seconds remaining, allowing the Penguins to score in overtime to keep Pittsburgh's hope of winning the Cup alive. However, the Penguins lost the series in six games.

Midway through the final year of his initial contract with the Penguins, 2008–09, Talbot re-signed on December 19, 2008, to a two-year contract extension through the 2010–11 season. The Penguins returned to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive year against the Red Wings. Talbot scored both of the Penguins' goals in the seventh and deciding game of the series to capture the franchise's third Stanley Cup.^[3]

International play

Medal record
Competitor for Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver	2004 Finland

He also helped team Team Canada win a silver medal as an alternate captain in the 2004 World Junior Championships in Helsinki.^[1]

Awards

• Named to the QMJHL Second All-Star Game in 2003 and 2004.
• Won the Guy Lafleur Trophy (QMJHL Playoff MVP) in 2003 and 2004.
• Won the President's Cup with the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques in 2003 and 2004.
• Won a silver medal with Team Canada in 2004.
• Stanley Cup champion 2009 (Pittsburgh)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000–01	Rouyn-Noranda Huskies	QMJHL		40	9	15	24	78		–	–	–	–	–
2000–01	Hull Olympiques	QMJHL		24	6	7	13	60		5	1	0	1	2
2001–02	Hull Olympiques	QMJHL		65	24	36	60	174		12	4	6	10	51
2002–03	Hull Olympiques	QMJHL		69	46	58	104	130		20	14	30	44	33
2003–04	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL		51	25	73	98	41		15	11	16	27	0
2004–05	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		75	7	12	19	62		11	0	1	1	22
2005–06	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		48	5	3	8	59		–	–	–	–	–
2005–06	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		42	12	20	32	80		11	3	6	9	16
2006–07	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		75	13	11	24	53		5	0	1	1	7
2006–07	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		5	4	0	4	2		–	–	–	–	–
2007–08	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		63	12	14	26	53		17	3	6	9	36
2008–09	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		75	12	10	22	63		24	8	5	13	19
NHL totals				261	42	38	80	228		46	11	12	23	62

(Wikipedia)

¡Question. Who's the best goalie you've ever faced? ¡Answer: Probably Marc-Andre Fleury because he's my goalie. But you've got to think about [Martin] Brodeur and [Roberto] Luongo, too. Those three. ¡Q: Is everyone in your family as goofy as you? ¡A: Oh, yeah. More. They're just crazy. We're really an open-minded family. We talk about everything, from serious stuff to sex or whatever. But we were raised to have fun. It starts with my grandfather on my dad's side. Everybody on the Talbot side is crazy. ¡Q: Are you funnier in English or French? ¡A: Oh, in French. English, I'm really not funny. It's easier in French because it comes faster. When someone comes at me on the ice in English... I have trouble answering back because sometimes the first reaction is French. But when someone comes at me in French, I tell them to [censored] real fast or something really good. ¡Q: How's it going with Evgeni Malkin as your road roommate, and has he taught you any Russian words? ¡A: Not so much Russian words. I'm awful with a third language. I was fortunate enough to learn English when I was younger. But he's been good. We have conversations. His English has gotten way better. He sleeps a lot, so I always wake him up because I like to wake up earlier and go to breakfast. (www.whsd.org/students/2011/alf111/powerpoint/Bio.pptx -)

Fun Facts About Crosby

Sidney Crosby Fun Facts

Sidney Crosby Fun Facts:

Nicknames: The Next One, Baby Legs, Sid the Kid, Darryl

Previous Team : Rimouski Océanic ( QMJHL )

Hometown : Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia

Place of Birth : Dartmouth , Nova Scotia

Country : Canada

DOB : August 7 , 1987

Height : 5-foot-10 (1.80 m)

Weight : 193 pounds (87.5 kg)

Shoots : Left

Position : Centre

Jersey Number : 87, he wears this becuase his birthyear is August 7, 1987.

Junior Team: Rimouski Oceanic

NHL Team: Pittsburgh Penguins

First NHL hatrick: October 28 2006, against Philadelphia Flyers

Family: Troy Crosby (Father), Trina Crosby (Mother), Taylor Crosby (Sister)

Middle Name: Patrick

Favortie Music: All

Favorite Band: 3 Doors Down

Pet: Yellow Retriever named Samantha "Sam"

Place of Residence: Sewickley, PA

Car: Range Rover, Lexus

Favorite food: Chinese

Favorite actor: Denzel Washington

Favorite actress: Eva Mendez

Girlfriend: The Stanley Cup

Endorsements: Reebok, Sher-Wood, Telus, Upper Deck, PepsiCo

His dad was drafted byt Montreal Canadiens the same year as NHL legend Mario Lemieux.

Later Sidney Crosby would one day play on the same team as Mario Lemieux.

Was a Montreal Canadiens fan as a child.

Player that he hates playing against most is Denis Gauthier


Noteable Sidney Crosby Dates :
June, 2009- Sid the Kid and the Penguins win the Stanley Cup

December 16, 2005 - Michel Therrien, Penguins coach, selects Sidney Crosby as an alternate captain for the team.

October 8, 2005 - Sidney Crosby scores his first NHL goal against Boston Bruins goalie Hannu Toivonen.

October 5, 2005 - Sidney Crosby earns his first NHL point by assising a goal for Mark Recchi against New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.

September 9, 2005 - Sidney Crosby signs his NHL contract with Pittsburgh. Sidney could earn up to $12 million over the next 3 years playing along side the hockey legend Mario Lemieux.

July 30, 2005 - Pittsburgh Penguin select Sidney Crosby first overall in the 2005 NHL amateur entry draft.


Sidney Crosby Quotes:

"It was nice to get the first one out of the way," - Sidney Crosby

"I was better at both ends, defensively and offensively, ... It was more of a well-rounded game. I want to add to that." - Sidney Crosby


"I feel comfortable, ... I'm definitely feeling challenged but with each day I gain more experience. I'm just trying to improve each day." - Sidney Crosby


"I want to play as soon as possible, ... You want to play but I don't pick and choose. It's not my job." - Sidney Crosby

"I didn't anticipate anything -- I was just showing up and seeing what the town and people were about, but it was a very welcoming sight, ... I'm sure the energy and excitement in town are going to rub off on the players. It's nice to see everybody's so excited about getting hockey started." - Sidney Crosby


"You can't afford to go out there and watch too much, ... If you get caught watching, you're not going to get to the puck and not going to make good plays." - Sidney Crosby


"The defensemen went down and got out of position, ... So then the goalie had no choice but to play the shot so I knew Mark had an open shot. I gave him a quick look and got him the puck." - Sidney Crosby


"I think I did all right but I want to improve, ... I don't think I'm happy with being average in that department and I want to make sure I compete with those guys. It was 50-50, I lost some battles." - Sidney Crosby


"It was amazing. You don't have a choice but to play your best. They force you do do that because they're smart and that's the fun part for me, I'm being challenged to think faster and be creative." - Sidney Crosby


"I was anxious to get started, ... There was so much anticipation. I wanted to get in the routine of playing games. It was just nice to be on a team, not competing against these guys in camp [but] trying to work together to win." - Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby...Sweet Dream or Beautiful Nightmare?You decide!

Sidney Crosby was born on August 7, 1987, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Trina and Troy Crosby are his parents and Taylor is his sister. He grew up in Cole Harbour were his mom took a job at a grocery store. Crosby's dad had been a hot tempered goaly in junior hockey who was known for "throwing down the gloves." However, his career just didn't work out, so he became a facilities manager at a Halifax law firm. Sidney first became interest in hockey at the young age of two. He'd use a sawed off stick to play floor hockey with in his basement. By the age of three, he showed enough skill against the family dryer to start playing on the ice. At age five,Sidney was competing in leagues at the local arena, Cole Harbor Palace. Crosby's mother started to take odd jobs like handing out flyers to pay for his hockey equipment. When Crosby was seven, he was good enough to be interviewed by a local newspaper. Almost overnight, he became a national sensation.
Sid attended several hockey camps in his childhood and each time came home with great reviews.NHL players working at the camps put out the word on Crosby.Brad Richards, the future Conn Smythe winner, kept in touch with Crosby as he mooved up Canada's hockey ladder. Growing up, Sidney's closest childhood friend was a guy named Jackson Johnson, he was also a talented player and when pressed, doubled as a unofficial bodyguard. By the time Sid graduated to the Triple-A Midget Legue at the tender age of fourteen ( in 2001-2002 scoring 44 goals in 31 contests against 16 and 17-year-olds), he was growing into a national obsession. though Sid was only a bit over 5.5 feet tall, he was good enough to be a impact player in Quebec Major Junior hock League, which was his next giant leap to super-stardom. But, QMJH rules do not allow 15yr.olds to play. However the Mooseheads petitioned QMJHL to make an exception for Sid...just like the one made for Lemuix. however, the league officials denied the request.

"Sidney enrolled at the Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Fairbault, Minnesota, one of America’s top hockey-oriented prep schools. Part of the deal was that he and Johnson would go as teammates—hardly a sacrifice for coach Tom Ward, considering that Johnson was a future NHL first-rounder, too.
With SSM Sidney continued to hone his skills, while living out of the spotlight for a year. Initially, it was fun for him when he was recognized at malls and restaurants around his home, but it got to be hassle. Shattuck-St. Mary’s gave him a measure of anonymity he would not enjoy again.

Sidney played one year for the Sabres and grew to 5-9 and 160 pounds. Logging a 57-game national schedule against the top prep teams, he netted 72 goals. Sidney was also the only player under age 18 invited to suit up for Team Canada during the 2003 World Junior Championships, making him one of just four 16-year-olds ever to play for his country. The others were Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza and Jay Bouwmeester. Sidney became the youngest player ever to score for Canada, when he lit the lamp during a 7-2 win over Switzerland.
Among Sidney’s many goals during 2002-03 was a show-stopper from behind the enemy net. He scooped the puck onto his stick, cradling it the curve then, using centrifugal force to keep it there, whipped it around the goal lacrosse-style and past a stunned goalie.
Following the hockey season, Sidney and Johnson decided to go out for the baseball team. Sidney became one of SSM’s best pitchers. Other schools heckled the two hockey stars until Johnson let himself get hit by a pitch and charged the mound with Sidney at his side. That stopped the bench-jockeying for good.
ON THE RISE. After his year at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Sidney was eligible for the QMJHL draft, and was snapped up with the first pick by the Rimouski Oceanic, making coach Doris Labonte the happiest man in Canada. In his first exhibition game on the ice with his Rimouski teammates, Sidney tallied eight points. His teammates nicknamed him Darryl after Darryl Sittler, who once registered 10 points in an NHL game. He still has Darryl scrawled on his gloves.
Skating most of the year with two checkers shadowing him, Sidney nevertheless excelled in virtually every game he played. Particularly impressive was his willingness to go into corners—and getting out alive. Indeed, he had a knack for slipping away from the goons and then reappearing in the crease, where he could get deflections and rebounds before opponents had time to react. When defensemen tried to bully Sidney, he responded by giving them back double or triple what they gave him, willingly taking penalties to drive home the point that he could prove hazardous to their health if sufficiently angered.
Sidney finished the season with six major awards, including QMJHL Rookie of the Year and MVP. He led the league with 81 assists and 135 points in 59 games, and finished second in goals to teammate Dany Roussin with 54.

He now stood 5-10 and weighed in at a rock-solid 175 pounds. That summer, he met Mario Lemieux and had a chance to skate with him. Each was impressed with the other. The possibility that Sidney might end up in a Pittsburgh uniform was a possibility. The Pens had one of the worst records in the league, and with a season-killing labor dispute looming, they might find themselves with the top pick in the draft come the spring of 2005.
In 2004-05, Sidney was named Major Junior Player of the Year for the second time, and prepared for the next phase of his hockey life, the NHL, which was still ironing out a deal with players after a year of inactivity. Nine days before the 2005 NHL Draft, Sidney found out where he would be starting his career. The Penguins won the lottery, earning the first overall pick. Within a few weeks of announcing their selection of Sidney, Pittsburgh sold more tickets for 2005-06 than they had in the previous NHL season. Sidney signed a three-year deal worth around $10 million—the maximum rookie salary as per the new labor agreement, plus performance bonuses that were well within his reach.

Sidney’s first game came against the New Jersey Devils. He slid a nice pass to Mark Recchi for his first NHL assist, but was robbed by Martin Brodeur in his attempt to net his first NHL goal. Welcome to the league, kid. Two nights later, he set up Ziggy Palffy with an exquisite pass for the game-tying goal late in the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes. In Pittsburgh’s home opener the next night against the Boston Bruins, Sidney scored his first goal and added a pair of assists, putting the full range of his talents on display for the home fans. By the end of October, he had two goals and 12 assists in 11 games, and was named NHL Rookie of the Month.
If hockey’s new golden boy thought he’d be spared by the league’s thugs, he got a rude awakening in an early game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Derian Hatcher’s blade found Sidney’s face and knocked his front teeth out. The refs missed the infraction but whistled Sidney when he retaliated againstHatcher. Later in the contest, the refs caught Hatcher giving Sidney a stick to the neck. Steaming the rest of the game, the teenager waited until overtime to score the game-winner with blood still dripping from his neck and mouth. That day he became an honorary blue-collar guy.
Playing primarily on the wing, Sidney found NHL goals hard to come by at first. (Taking a shot off his foot in a November game didn't help matters.) The Pens, meanwhile, got off to a sluggish start, and coach Ed Olczyk was replaced by Michel Therrien. The new head man made Sidney an alternate captain, and moved him to center, teaming him with feisty winger Colby Armstrong. Before long, the goals started coming with more regularity.

With this happy turn of events, however, arrived a rather unhappy one. Sidney was passed over by Team Canada’s Olympic team selection committee. He had his heart set on helping his country defend its gold medal in 2006, and although he said all the right things, there was no masking his dismay. Sidney had been counting on Lemieux to pull some strings, but when the veteran center was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, he withdrew his name from Canada’s list. Lemieux would later announce his retirement from the NHL and his intention to sell his share of the Penguins, too—making Sidney the team’s undisputed center of attention.
In the meantime, there were more lessons to be learned. In a January game against the Atlanta Thrashers, Sidney was mugged by fellow superstar Ilya Kovalchuk away from the officials’ eyes. Again, he was whistled when he fought back. Kovalchuk scored the game-winner while Sidney was in the box, and gestured in his direction after lighting the lamp.

Over the next few months, the Penguins drifted out of playoff contention, and played most of their games from behind, giving up far too many early goals. Sidney did all he could do get them back, going on a scoring binge in the season’s final months.
In an April game against the New York Islanders, Sidney set up Pittsburgh goals twice in a 25-second span to surpass the 100-point mark—becoming the youngest player in NHL history to do so. He also tied Lemieux’s team mark for rookies. The game was stopped for five minutes as Penguin fans showered the ice with caps, t-shirts and other objects.

Sidney finished the season with 39 goals and 63 assists, good for 102 points—the sixth-best total in the league. Alas, Pittsburgh won just 22 of 82 games.
The Penguins were supposed to be a much better team, and they will be. Their underachieving 2005-06 season had many causes, including injuries and lack of production on the part of some key veterans.

Then again, think of what Pittsburgh’s record says about Sidney—how does a teenager score 100 points on the second-worst team in hockey? And just how good might he soon be?Like most young scorers, Sidney has three gears—fast, faster and fastest. What distinguishes him from his peers, however, is that the details of his game are not diminished when he is at maximum warp. When the play is wide open, he is a sneaky, dangerous player. When the game is a physical, tight-checking affair, Sidney does not disappear. He is assertive and aggressive along the boards and in the open ice. Only a handful of NHL stars can play both styles as effectively.
Sidney reads the ice very intelligently and plays with great poise. He “uses” all the players on the ice, often letting the flow of play determine his next move. This makes him very unpredictable.Sidney can leap on opportunities, but is also patient enough to allow them to develop. His legs give him a tremendous (he’s got a great first step) and keep him going (he’s got legs like tiny tree trunks).

Although there is less fighting in the NHL than in years past, young guns like Sidney still need teammates watching their backs. Unfortunately, no one in Pittsburgh appears ready to fill this role. The result was that Sidney took some big hits as a rookie. Unlike teen sensations Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, Paul Kariya and Mike Modano, there is no enforcer looming on the blue line to bring down the thunder when opponents target Sidney. How long he can continue fending for himself will be something Penguin fans watch very carefully."

(The above {VERY LONG} quote was taken from www.jockbio.com)This is mostly not original work.

They have now one a Stanley Cup...I was there to watch the parade. Will they win another one this year...hmmmm.only God knows!

Penz are lookin' good!

This hockey season, Pens have come out with a bang! They've won 6 out of 7 games, with their top scorers making it big. Crosby is at his game and Malkin is smoking too. Watch out all other teams...i think Pens are gonna win the Stanley cup again!