Success hits home for Sid at 30
Crosby celebrates birthday by taking Penguins’ prize into familiar territory
HALIFAX— NHL superstar Sidney Crosby said it’s “just a number,” as he turned 30 on Monday and brandished the Stanley Cup in a parade that wound through Halifax in his native Nova Scotia.
Crosby rode on the back of a white pickup truck as marshal of the city’s annual Natal Day parade, waving to thousands of fans who lined the streets for a glimpse of Sid the Kid and the revered cup.
Crosby told reporters he’d enjoy the celebrations before setting his sights on training camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins later this month. The team will be making a bid for its third consecutive championship.
“I have a pretty good understanding of how hard two is, so I don’t imagine what three must be like. I’d love to find out,” Crosby said.
The three-time Stanley Cup champ and future hall of famer said the NHL just keeps getting faster, “And I like that.”
He smiled when asked if, at 30, he has any grey hairs yet.
“Lots,” he said to laughter from the room. “Greys and whites.”
Crosby, who is entering his 13th season in the league, said he fully realizes what the milestone age signifies for an athlete.
“It’s amazing how fast time goes by,” he said. “It makes you realize that it doesn’t get any easier and that’s why things like this (parade) — you have to enjoy it.”
Dressed in a ball cap, shorts and a white Penguins 2017 Stanley Cup Tshirt, a relaxed Crosby said having a few days with the cup never gets old.
Crosby took the cup to Halifax hospitals for children and veterans on Sunday, and said he celebrated with it that night with family and friends at his home in Enfield, N.S., outside of Halifax. Crosby declined to give details, saying with a grin reporters could probably “put two and two together.”
“The best part about it is to see everyone’s reaction (to the Cup) regardless of whether they are a hockey fan or not,” he said.
As Crosby made his way to a truck waiting to take him to the parade, he was surrounded by a group of young children from a local hockey camp. He bent down and showed them the cup.
“Thank you Sidney Crosby” they chimed. Another child yelled out “We love you Sidney Crosby.”
People lining the parade route sang “Happy Birthday” as Crosby passed, behind a marching band at the front of the parade. The crowd cheered when the marching band played a rendition of the Hockey Night in Canada theme.
Paradegoer Colin Roberts, 12, plays peewee hockey and said Crosby is a role model.
“He’s so good but he stays low key. He signs autographs.”
Roberts’ 9-year-old brother, Eric, said Crosby is also kind.
“He’s such a good player but he also takes the time to visit old folks’ homes.”
On Monday afternoon, Crosby took the cup to Rimouski, Que., where he played as a teenager in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“I thought it would be great to spend a couple of hours here and come back to a place that’s pretty special to me, so it’s nice to share with everyone here,” said Crosby, who played for the Rimouski Océanic between 2003 and 2005.
Asked whether the best birthday present would be a call from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wishing him Olympic participation in 2018, Crosby replied: “Ha, I don’t know. I’m just trying to enjoy this right now, to be honest with you.”