Crosby and Stanley Cup to be honoured Saturday at parade in NHL great's hometown

HALIFAX - Sidney Crosby met the Stanley Cup at the Halifax airport today, beginning his designated time with the storied trophy with a surprise visit to a hometown Tim Hortons.

Paul MacFarlane, operations manager for the Tim Hortons in Cole Harbour, said he heard an explosion of applause and watched Crosby walk through with the Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The coffee shop, visited frequently by Crosby as a kid, is on Forest Hills Parkway, which will be shut down Saturday to allow the Pittsburgh Penguins captain to parade the Cup.

Each player of the Cup-winning team gets brief custody of it.

As team captain, Crosby is permitted to have the trophy an extra day and said he wanted to share it with as many people as he could.

PAL Airlines tweeted a photo of Crosby, the Cup and an unidentified man in an orange safety vest with thanks for visiting their offices.

But it was at the Tim Hortons where Crosby, who is phenomenally popular in his hometown, generated the most excitement.

MacFarlane said Crosby stayed for about 15 minutes, taking photos with everyone.