Crosby shares the Cup with hometown

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain celebrated his 22nd birthday Friday.

COLE HARBOUR, Nova Scotia (AP) — Sidney Crosby brought quite the present to his hometown during a celebration of his 22nd birthday.

The Penguins captain arrived in Halifax on Friday carrying the Stanley Cup, landing in a military helicopter on the flight deck of HMCS Preserver. Crosby then took the NHL’s iconic championship trophy on a tour of Cole Harbour, the suburban community where he was raised.

“That’s what we get a kick out of, us players, is the sharing with everyone,” said Crosby, who also made a private visit to a children’s hospital in Halifax.

“When you finally win it, you realize the experience that comes with it and how good that is,” he added. “I’m finding that out right now, but it’s probably everything and better.”

Crosby began the day by addressing hundreds of members of the Canadian military and their families at the Halifax Dockyard, including Defense Minister Peter MacKay and Rear Admiral Paul Maddison. Many in the crowd were decked out in Penguins jerseys.

Meagan and Ryan Lunn of Cole Harbour expressed their appreciation for Crosby. Their father, Mike, is deployed to Afghanistan.

“I’m just so grateful that we met him,” Meagan Lunn said. “The guys at the unit arranged this for us because I love Sidney, and it was just good to meet him.”

Crosby said because of the city’s connection with the military, he wanted to start the day by sharing the Stanley Cup with members of the Armed Forces.

“This is something that I felt was important,” he said. “There’s a lot of troops that aren’t here right now who are overseas. ... But for the ones who are here, I thought they would really get a kick out of it.”