Hurricanes sign Slavin for seven years
The Carolina Hurricanes and defenceman Jaccob Slavin have agreed to a seven-year contract extension.
General manager Ron Francis on Wednesday said the deal begins in 2018-19 and will carry an average annual value of $5.3 million through the 2024-25 season. Francis says the 23-year-old Slavin is “one of the cornerstones of our team” and “one of the top young defencemen in the NHL today.” In his second season in the NHL in 2016-17, Slavin had 34 points, five goals, 29 assists. He also led the team with 161 blocked shots, 83 takeaways and an average time on ice of about 23 1/2 minutes.
Hockey superstar Sidney Crosby has hinted he will mark his 30th birthday by once again parading the Stanley Cup around his hometown in Nova Scotia.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday at his annual youth hockey camp in Cole Harbour, N.S., Crosby confirmed he will have the Cup on Aug. 6 and 7.
Crosby said his plans for the trophy are still in the works, but he noted there is an annual, civic parade in nearby Halifax on Aug. 7 — his 30th birthday.
“The Natal Day parade is on the Monday ... so we’re kind of throwing that idea around,” Crosby said, referring to the event that celebrates Halifax’s birthday.
“That seems like it would be a good fit.”
Crosby added he wants as many people as possible to see the trophy.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain has shown off professional hockey’s most prestigious trophy twice before in Cole Harbour — in 2009 and 2016.
Last July, Crosby carried the Cup in the back of a pickup that made its way to an arena in Cole Harbour as thousands of cheering fans looked on amid sweltering heat.
Crosby recalled hoisting the Cup above his head many times as the truck crawled along the Forest Hills Parkway for just over half a kilometre.
“I had a little bit of a later night the night before, too, so it was tough,” he said with a laugh.
“But it was fun. To see everyone turn out, you see all the chairs and everyone camped out on the sides. It’s an experience. When you think about bringing the Cup home, that’s the snapshots you have, seeing the amount of people that are there.”
Each player of the Cup-winning NHL team gets brief custody of the trophy.
Crosby’s annual hockey camp for boys and girls age nine to 12 benefits his foundation for underprivileged kids.
On Wednesday, Crosby stopped by the camp to help coach some young players, donning a navy blue jacket and ball cap, both emblazoned with his hockey school’s logo.