No Grinder Left Behind

When Colby Armstrong was traded away during last season's "blockbuster" deal, the Penguins lost a player that put his heart into every second he played. Armstrong was not the best skater, he didn't have the hardest shot and he didn't pass with the eloquence of "The Great One". Colby Armstrong was, however, one of the hardest workers on the ice at all times. Because of this, Armstrong found himself skating next to Sid "The Kid" Crosby during a large part of his games.

In case the fans haven't caught on, Penstation is a big supporter of using grinders to compliment the Pens high octane offense. During the Blues game, Max Talbot did just that for The Kid. We fully expect Talbot to be playing opposite of Satan on the Penguins first line tonight. Handlebars Talbot may be an A&L Motor Sales "Superstar", but he has always been a star to his cult-like following of fans.

Talbot's hard work is represented best by his game 5 goal in last year's Stanley Cup Finals. Penstation is looking for more hard work to come from Max during his time alongside Sid. Talbot has scoring potential with Sid, but will do his best work grinding the boards behind the cage and getting the puck to Sid and Satan. Look for Talbot to light up the ice tonight when the Penguins take on the Edmonton Oilers at 7pm EST.

By the way, you will be able to catch Talbot's goal again when FSN Pittsburgh plays game 5 during its Thanksgiving replay classics. The network will also air the Winter Classic '08 game along with all of 2008's instant Penguins classics (Pens).

Matt@Penstation