FanHouse Max Talbot

We're trying something different to replace the old Newsmakers in the NHL posts. Hopefully you'll like it. Each weekday we'll take a look at one positive performance from the previous night (a plus), and one negative performance from the previous night (a minus). It's the plus/minus.Tell us what you think at nhlfanhouse@gmail.com.

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Great commercials (though, this one isn't great) in NHL history: A look back at the absurdity and hilarity of NHL advertising campaigns.

Max Talbot has always been a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. He seems to be a likable guy, he's very entertaining off the ice and a darn good player on it. He's also had a starring role in multiple commercials for a A & L motor sales, a high-end car dealership in the Pittsburgh area.

On Saturday night, before the Penguins were steamrolled by the San Jose Sharks, the third part of the Max Talbot trilogy made its debut, and it just might be the worst thing I have ever seen. You can see the can see the carnage for yourself after the jump.

HOMESTEAD, Pa. -- Phil Bourque spent eight of his 12 NHL seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, helping the team win two Stanley Cups in the early 1990s. Since the 2003-04 campaign, he's worked as an analyst for the Penguins radio network, and we had an opportunity to catch up with him at the team's Championship DVD release on Monday night.

Among the topics discussed: How do the current Penguins compare to the teams he played on, which current Penguin is the modern-day Phil Bourque, and why are hockey players the most approachable, fan-friendly athletes in sports?

The real NHL awards will be handed out Thursday night in Las Vegas, so FanHouse decided to hand out its own special awards for the 2008-09 season.

During the 2007-08 season, Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala made blooper reels across the NHL for allowing a goal against the New York Islanders from 190 feet away. Hey, it happens to the best of them, and just to prove it, we introduce you to the 2008-09 nominees for the Vesa Toskala Award, celebrating the worst goal allowed of the year.

It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We'll be running our division-by-division preview of the offseason beginning later in the week, but we wanted to give the two top dogs their own space. Yesterday we took a look at the Red Wings. Today: the summer outlook for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Thanks to Max Talbot's two-goal performance in Game 7, along with Marc-Andre Fleury's buzzer-beating save on Nicklas Lidstrom, the Pittsburgh Penguins brought home their third Stanley Cup. General manager Ray Shero now has the task of dealing with 10 unrestricted free agents and finding a way to construct a team that is capable of keeping the Cup in Pittsburgh.

I don't think there's any question that hockey players are the most approachable, fan-friendly athletes in sports. I still remember being in high school and hanging around Mellon Arena after games and getting a chance to meet (and score autographs!) from guys like Alexei Kovalev, Johan Hedberg and Andrew Ference (hey, these were the lean years), not to mention the one night we had the opportunity to ask Owen Nolan why he backed down from Kryzsztof Oliwa in a fight.

The Penguins are still reveling in their win, while they spent Saturday night on the town with their new friend, Stanley.

The Pittsburgh Penguins ended a 17-year Stanley Cup drought on Friday night with a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, giving the franchise its third championship. While current general manager Ray Shero will get his name on the cup for overseeing the hockey operations the past three seasons, former general manager Craig Patrick also had a hand in putting this team together.

After the jump, a player-by-player look at how the 2008-09 Penguins were built over the years.

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.

Yet again, it wasn't easy, but battles of titans never are. In the wake left behind by the Penguins and Red Wings, it's time to consider one thing: the Wings, with their tradition and history of excellence, have been unseated atop the hockey world.

While there's no shame in losing in seven games to a team as talented as the Penguins, especially when you've set the bar unreachably high for a decade-plus, this loss feels more significant, more grave for the Wings. It feels like the making of a new superpower. It feels like the Penguins are poised to occupy the spot the Red Wings have inhabited, and that they'll be there for a long time.

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During the Penguins' game 4 win on Thursday night, captain Sidney Crosby finally had his bust-out game of the Stanley Cup Final, recording a goal (the eventual game-winner) and an assist in Pittsburgh's 4-2 win to tie the series at two games apiece. The performance helped him eclipse the 30-point mark this postseason, joining his teammate, Evgeni Malkin, who is currently the leading scorer in the playoffs with 35 points, putting the duo in some elite, historic company.