NHL

BY WEB STAFF
sportsnet.ca

Max Talbot has added more fuel to the fire that is the growing rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

In an interview to promote next season's Winter Classic between the two teams, the Penguins forward said Ovechkin was a "real douche" and he didn't like the Capitals star.

"I just hate the guy," Talbot told Pittsburgh Radio Station 105.9 The X. "I can't lie. Sorry. Even more so for a guy like Ovechkin. Like, seriously, okay ... yeah. I don't like him.

"The first time I met him, actually, when I met him off the ice," Talbot added. "You hear a lot of stories about a guy, but sometimes they're not true. You hear of guys who are not good guys, and you're like, 'Yeah, okay, I'll give the guy a shot.' The first time I met him, let's say he didn't give the best impression to me, so better reason to hate him even more."

Talbot also said his hatred for the Russian sniper grew stronger at the NHL Awards following Pittsburgh's Stanely Cup win in 2009.

"I was actually at the NHL Awards last summer with (Evgeni) Malkin, and we brought the Stanley Cup over there after the season," Talbot said. "Malkin knew Ovechkin, and introduced me to him, and the first impression wasn't great. I'm not really going to say what happened, but I'm like, 'Ok, this guy is a real douche.'"

The fourth installment of the NHL’s Winter Classic will be played at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on January 1.