"Get Pucked Up!" Hockey Feature In October Issue Of Maxim Magazine

For those who thought Maxim was solely for viewing half-naked women in all sorts of compromising positions, well - you're half-right. The October 2010 issue might just go down as Magazine of the Decade for three reasons: 1) they have an Anna Kournikova photo spread in 3D, 2) there is a pretty solid story about the new season of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck, and 3) there is a four-page feature on the NHL. That's got to be more coverage than ESPN The Magazine provides for the NHL all year!

The NHL article is titled "Get Pucked Up!" and discusses the 20 reasons why you should be watching hockey. If you're reading this blog, I would hope you already do. And this is likely an abbreviated overview since we all know there's plenty more than 20 reasons to be watching hockey.

Some of the topics covered in this piece include new New York Rangers overpaid enforcer Derek Boogaard's advice for winning a hockey fight, America's increasing success in international play and the NHL Draft, players' pre-game superstitions (Alexander Ovechkin's is pretty incredible), Duncan Keith's teeth-dropping Game 4 in the Western Conference Finals, hockey wives and girlfriends (i.e., Puck Bunnies), and the Sidney Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry from Sid The Kid's viewpoint.

All in all, this is a well-done edition of Maxim. The hockey coverage would have been enough. But add in Anna Kournikova in 3D and some UFC talk, and can it get any better than that? Probably. But this is still pretty solid.

(For those wondering - and I know most of you are, the 3D photos of Anna Kournikova are up on the Maxim.com website. Without a copy of the magazine, you will need to dig up your own pair of 3D glasses.)

Maxime Talbot – Not a Fan Of Alexander Ovechkin

 

Obviously forgetting that it’s a ridiculously hot summer in the Northeast and that the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field on New Year’s Day is still over five months away, the NHL held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to hype the overdone spectacle. While those media members this pandered to were likely delighted by the festivities, I would guess that a large portion of hockey fans aren't too worried about this affair at the moment because, well … IT’S JULY!

Anyhoo, even for all of the fluff quotes plundered out there by the likes of Gary Bettman and Mario Lemieux, we did learn a very important lesson as a result of this random media relations moment: Maxime Talbot is not the president of the Alexander Ovechkin fan club.

During the promotion of the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals yesterday, Talbot was very vocal about his dislike for Washington’s Russian sniper in an interview with 105.9-FM, The X in Pittsburgh.

When asked by the hosts rather sarcastically whether he was upset that Ovechkin would not be in attendance at the press conference, Talbot very honestly replied, “I’m kind of happy he’s not there. I really didn’t want to see him. I just hate the guy.”

Talbot’s hatred is not a new thing, either.

“The first time I met him, he did not give the best impression to me,” Talbot said.

Talbot went on to tell the hosts that during last year’s NHL Awards Ceremony when the Penguins were defending Stanley Cup Champions, teammate Evgeni Malkin introduced him to his Russian comrade. Talbot left with the impression that Ovechkin was a female hygienic practice.

“I’m not really gonna say what happened. But I’m like, ‘Okay, this guy is a real douche.’”

I guess whatever helps fuel this kinda-sorta rivalry is always a good thing. But are we really surprised that a Penguins player isn't too fond of the arch-rival of Sidney Crosby? I mean, when his own countryman doesn't like him, it's hard to expect anybody else be a fan of No. 8.

Full audio of the interview with Talbot can be heard at http://www.1059thex.com/main.html.

Also, be sure to check out this post by Greg Wyshynski over at Puck Daddy, which shows the players in attendance at the press conference (Crosby, Dupuis and Talbot from the Pens; Knuble and Steckel from the Caps) attempting to make field goals by shooting the hockey puck from about 50 yards away through the uprights. Jeff Reed's job is safe.