About 2,000 people turned out in a northwestern Alberta town on the weekend to cheer a Stanley Cup champion.
Pittsburgh Penguins‘ forward Carter Rowney was in Sexsmith Sunday, where he carried the famous cup during a parade in his honour.
“It’s been pretty crazy, it’s pretty surreal,” Rowney said to CJXX.
“That welcoming I got when I got off the bus, that’s cool. And that makes it more special, and I’m just going to cherish it.”
Rowney was also presented with the key to the town, posed for countless pictures with fans and signed autographs by the score.
The 28-year-old player helped Pittsburgh beat the Nashville Predators in last month’s Stanley Cup final. Rowney was signed to a two-year deal with the Penguins last spring.
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Sexsmith is about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, near Grande Prairie.
— With files from Trevor Snell, CJXX