Halifax Homecoming: Penguins Join Sidney Crosby for Unforgettable Experience in Nova Scotia

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA – When the Penguins returned to the Halifax Mooseheads locker room following the Nova Scotia Showdown with Ottawa on Monday at Scotiabank Centre, Sidney Crosby stood up and addressed his teammates.

“Great speech after game,” Evgeni Malkin said. “His family is amazing. People love him. We tried to do our best. We don't win tonight, but it's okay. I hope he had a great time. We all had a great time here.”

The contest, which the Penguins lost 3-0, wrapped up a few days of team bonding in the captain’s home province that began when they arrived on Friday. Their time in the Maritimes was filled with dinners, a scavenger hunt, practice at his childhood rink in Cole Harbour, and community activities.

“It's awesome to see how special it is for Sid to come back,” Tristan Jarry said. “To have his name all over the place and just to see how special he is to the community – you see it in Pittsburgh, but when you come here, it's a whole different atmosphere. It's cool to be able to do this for him.”

And it meant a lot to the captain that he was able to show them around an area that he’s so proud of, which is what he told them after the game.

“I just thanked them,” Crosby said. “I know it’s training camp and I know that it was pretty busy and there’s a lot going on. But whether it was from my family or just everybody here, I just wanted to tell them thank you, and that was basically it.”

Crosby also felt incredibly grateful getting to play so close to home, saying that sometimes, it feels like the NHL is a different planet for those growing up in Nova Scotia. “So, being able to come back here and play the rink I grew up in, play a game like this, and share it with all of the organization, there’s a lot to be appreciative of.”

Before he was Sid the Kid, Crosby used to help out at Scotiabank Centre, assisting the late longtime equipment manager Lionel Jackson. He then played there as a member of the opposing team with the Rimouski Oceanic during his days in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, “so it wasn’t always as welcoming,” Crosby joked. But tonight, the reception Sid received was something special.

As the Penguins team bus pulled up about 2.5 hours before game time, a huge crowd of people waited excitedly for his arrival, cheering loudly as the captain walked into the arena –accompanied by his teammates wearing ties with the Nova Scotia Lightweight Tartan pattern, which were gifts from Crosby.

Matthew Clarke and his two children, Bobby and David, got there early hoping for a glimpse of the hometown Kid. Matthew had attended Crosby’s first and only other exhibition game in Halifax back on Sep. 19, 2006, and when he learned Sid was coming back, he wanted to bring the boys.

It wasn’t easy procuring tickets, as everyone in Nova Scotia wanted to watch the legend himself play an NHL game in their junior rink, with this one seating about 11,000 people. But Matthew and his wife managed to get three, ensuring core memories for their hockey-loving sons, who have attended the same hockey school Crosby went to as a kid in Prince Edward Island.

“This is a huge deal for us. We’re middle class. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us,” Matthew said. “To get this opportunity is pretty special. Sid is such an ambassador for the province. You couldn’t ask for a better ambassador for an athlete, a guy that comes back and gives back to his community and stuff. He’s inspirational for kids like these two. So, it’s a big deal.”

The Clarkes drove in from Bridgewater, which is about an hour away, and so did Matt Stewart and his young son Cullen. For families like theirs, seeing Crosby live had been more of a dream than a reality, with the closest NHL cities – Montreal, Ottawa and Boston – all over 10 hours away by car. To check off that bucket list item closer to their own backyards, and in such a unique environment, was special.

“This is pretty unbelievable,” Matt said. “Cullen's been a Crosby fan for as long as he can remember. So, it was pretty cool we got to see him. We've looked at opportunities to take him away to see a game, but just hasn’t worked out yet. So, this is perfect.”

Mae Chisholm has also been a Crosby fan for years. She was 87 years old when the Penguins won their last Stanley Cup, “and we thought that was the key,” joked her son Kevin. He’s one of 11 children, “but Sid’s the 12^th child out there, and he’s the best.” Now 93 years old, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get to see Crosby play. But Kevin drove her the three hours from Antigonish to Halifax for both the Penguins morning skate – where Crosby stopped to say hello as he walked off the ice – and the game later that night.

“It’s really thrilling. I can’t even believe I’m here, because when they were making the arrangements, I said to Kevin, I didn’t think I could make it because I am getting pretty old, you know,” Mae said with a chuckle. “But it’s a thrill to be here, for sure.”

Crosby wasn’t the only player the people of the Maritimes were excited to see. While the stands were filled with 87 jerseys, there were also red T-shirts with ‘Ryan Graves Hockey School’ printed on the front in white lettering, as the defenseman hosts a camp for kids in his native Yarmouth – about four hours away – each year. There were also signs for P.O Joseph, who played his junior hockey in Prince Edward Island for the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, which were proudly displayed during warmups.

“I’ve got a lot of friends and family coming, but people don’t just want to see me, they want to see Sid play and an NHL game in Halifax,” Graves said in the morning.

When the Penguins starting lineup was announced, Crosby initially saluted the crowd as they stood and cheered – with the ovation going on for so long that he did a second one. The support continued through the final buzzer, with Crosby trying to soak in each moment.

“It was nice. I can’t thank them enough for the reception,” Crosby said. “I just think the atmosphere of the game, the environment of it all – it was pretty special, hopefully, for everybody who was part of it.”