“Hard Not To Think About It”: Cam Talbot Expects Emotions to Run High for John Gibson’s Anaheim Return
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The Detroit Red Wings put the finishing touches on their eighth victory in the month of October for only the fifth time in franchise history on Thursday evening against the Los Angeles Kings, a 4-3 win via the shootout.
Goaltender Cam Talbot was solid between the pipes for the Red Wings, making 35 saves against his former Kings teammates in the venue he called home for a single season in 2023-24 before signing in Detroit.
On Friday evening, there will be a more meaningful return to a familiar professional home for another Red Wings goaltender, as John Gibson faces his former Anaheim Ducks teammates for the first time since being traded to Detroit in late June.
Gibson, whom the Ducks selected in the second round (39th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft, played the first 12 seasons of his career in Anaheim and was between the pipes for their most recent run to the Western Conference Final in 2017.
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That playoff journey for Gibson and the Ducks also included a six-game series victory in the second round over Todd McLellan, Talbot, and the Oilers.
Before the team departed on their five-game road trip, Talbot looked ahead to Gibson’s upcoming return to the arena he called home for 12 seasons. While he hadn’t spoken to Gibson about it directly, he acknowledged that there’s no denying it will be an emotional night.
“I haven’t talked to him about it, but I assume he’s going to say that we just need to get two points,” Talbot said of Gibson. “But how could you not think about it when you’ve been there for so long? He started his family there, got married there. It would be hard not to think about it if I was him, but I’ve never been anywhere that long.”
“I was only in Edmonton for four years, and my kids were born there, so it still holds a special place in my heart,” Talbot said. “I can only assume he’ll feel the same way. There will be those emotions for him and hopefully the guys will be able to come out there and make it work out there the way we think it will.”
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While Gibson’s debut with the Red Wings on Oct. 9 wasn’t ideal, the entire team effort wasn’t where it needed to be. Gibson has since rattled off four victories, which included a pair of top-notch outings against both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers.
If Gibson can help the Red Wings attain a pair of points against his former Ducks teammates, it would represent the club’s highest number of wins in October since 2007-08.
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