Residents excited for Sidney Crosby to bring Stanley Cup to Halifax’s Natal Day parade

Sidney Crosby will bring the Stanley Cup to Halifax and Dartmouth for Natal Day.

In a tweet sent out by The Sidney Crosby Hockey School, which is run out of Cole Harbour, people are told to be ready to welcome the championship trophy.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins captain had hinted that he would bring the cup to the parade during a news conference last Wednesday, telling reporters that he would have it on Aug. 6 and 7.

He said Natal Day on Aug. 7 — also his 30th birthday — was one date being “thrown” around.

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Last Friday, Natal Day Festival chair Greg Hayward told Global News that logistics still needed to be worked out by Crosby’s team but said the hockey player would be welcome in the parade.

Hayward told Global News the parade organizers responded to the team’s concerns after putting in their request and were told “we’ll be in touch.”

“Then last night at 11 o’clock, he let us know that yes, it was a go,” Hayward said Wednesday.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, 10 years, and this is the most excited I’ve been about putting on a parade.”

Crosby will be the grand marshal for the parade and will be near the front, behind the police force.

The past two times the two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner brought the Cup to the Halifax region, he did so in parades confined in his home of Cole Harbour, which still brought thousands to the Forest Hills Parkway.

Hayward said by bringing the Cup to the Halifax and Dartmouth parade, he’ll be able to reach even more people.

“He’s got fans all over the province and the Natal Day parade will allow him to get his biggest showing of the Cup and of course, himself, to as many people in a short period of time,” he said.

The parade typically brings 35,000 to 40,000 people to the streets on either side of Halifax Harbour. Hayward told Global News last week he wouldn’t be surprised if an extra 25,000 people turn up if Crosby attends. He said people in New Brunswick and Thunder Bay, Ont. have even called him, asking if the champ will be a show.

That appearance will, however, mean an increased security system which Crosby’s team organized, including a security escort.

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The parade starts in Halifax at the corner of Novalea Drive and Kenny Street, proceeds down Gottingen Street to North Street, then makes its way across the bridge before heading down Wyse Road to Alderney Drive. It then goes up Ochterloney Street out to Sullivan’s Pond.