After making the final save in a shootout to earn a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in his Blue Jackets debut, Cam Talbot flipped the puck in the air and gave it a whack with his paddle before the cannon at Nationwide Arena boomed a victory blast.
It was a beauty of a save to give the Blue Jackets a 3-2 shootout win Oct. 9, as Talbot slid to his right while gloving a shot to his left from Pittsburgh's Ben Kindel.
“It felt great," Talbot said. "Those always feel nice when you can seal a win like that, and obviously, we deserved to win that game. So, to let these guys down would’ve been hard for me to do after the way that we played. So, I’m just glad that I could seal the win.”
Talbot, who's living in a hotel with his family, made NHL history too. He's now the only goalie who's ever won a game for nine separate franchises, and he set the record, fittingly, wearing a hodgepodge of gear from the Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings, whom he'd played with the past two seasons.
Talbot's mask has stickers applied by the Blue Jackets' equipment staff to cover up a Red Wings design. His glove, blocker and leg pads are also Red Wings carryovers, and they actually pair nicely with the Blue Jackets' color scheme.
Talbot's new gear, ordered three weeks ago, is apparently in Toronto awaiting seals of approval from Kay Whitmore, the NHL's one-man clearinghouse for goalie gear. Talbot, who signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jackets on the eve of training camp, is awaiting two new masks as well.
TALBOT STOPS KINDEL IN SHOOTOUT FOR THE JACKETS' WIN 🧤 pic.twitter.com/ijPvpjPiH3
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 10, 2026
In a way, it was fitting that Talbot, 39, set the NHL records he did while wearing gear from the last two of his nine NHL organizations, which includes the New York Rangers as the first. It wasn't Talbot's intention to become the league's ultimate journeyman, but it's no dubious accomplishment either.
He's remained relevant until almost age 40 in a sport that can chew through careers quickly. Staying sharp enough to stay in the NHL is no small feat, and Talbot showed how he's done it with an impressive outing in a game that didn't exactly keep him busy.
After nearly a full week without playing a game, the Blue Jackets skated circles around the Penguins most of the night and racked up huge edges in shots (45-22) and attempts (82-49). That included a 25-7 shot margin in the second period, when they built a 15-1 margin in shots through the first 10:21 of the period.
Talbot stayed as focused as he could, making 20 saves in regulation and overtime before denying all three attempts he faced in the shootout, including one taken by former Blue Jackets forward Egor Chinakhov.
“There’s a veteran," Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. "Knows how to play, knows how to keep himself in the game, right? He’s been around. He played outstanding for us, clearly, but that’s when you draw on your experience to keep yourself motivated, keep yourself focused on the game, and he was able to do that. ... Good to see. I’m very happy for him.”
Next up for the Jackets is the conclusion of their first back-to-back set Oct. 10 in St. Louis, where Jet Greaves is expected to start against the Blues.
DispatchBlue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cam Talbot impresses in record-setting debut for Columbus Blue Jackets
