Sidney Crosby takes time to unwind with Stanley Cup in tow

Sunday, August 09, 2009
By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- On any summer day, this is a place where Sidney Crosby can't help but relax and recharge.

"It doesn't take long for that to happen," his mother, Trina, said.

Yesterday, the Penguins star center found new comfort in spending time at his picturesque offseason home. That's because set between the house and the gently lapping edge of Grand Lake, amid the custom decking and bright landscaping, was the Stanley Cup.

Reuters Pictures

Pittsburgh Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby waves to thousands of fans from the top of a vintage fire engine as he tours the Stanley Cup through his community of Cole Harbour , Nova Scotia. August 7, 2009. Crosby chose his 22nd birthday as his tour day for the Stanley Cup.

Crosby, who as team captain finagled two days with the trophy, ended his time with it with a private party that began early in the evening and was sure to stretch into the night -- if not until early this morning, when he had to relinquish the 35-pound silver symbol of excellence.

One of the first things he did, before guests arrived, was take it for a ride on the lake.

"Since I moved out here, I always thought to myself that if I ever win the Cup I want to bring it out here," Crosby said. "I spend a lot of quiet nights out here just relaxing and just trying to get away a bit. ... I figured why not?"

It figures that after a full day of mostly public adventures with the Cup on his 22nd birthday Friday and a more subdued day with family and friends yesterday, the Cup would end up at Crosby's house in a gated community about a half an hour away from his parents' home in suburban Cole Harbour but rural enough to slow the heart rate in one sweeping view.

"That's what it's for," he said. "During the season, there's a lot more pressure and focus on training and things like that. Here, I feel like I can get away and relax my mind. It's a big lake. It's easy to get lost out here."

He found the house, which sits on a cove, after his rookie NHL season in 2005-06 and has customized the site.

"We were talking about where I would spend my summers," he said. "I knew for sure I wanted to stay close to home. This place is close to home but it's also pretty secluded."

The home is surprisingly modest. On the main floor, light-colored walls brighten the rooms, especially the living room. Also on that floor are an entryway, dining room, kitchen with dark cabinets and pantry area.

Downstairs is a mancave. A section with a red-felted pool table opens to a courtyard with a waterfall amid lush plantings. Around the corner from the pool room is a media center and a few other rooms, including a utility area with a locker the exact replica of his stall in Mellon Arena and a stick rack that includes one-piece sticks he is trying out this summer after using wooden blades to this point in his career.

The grounds include a long dock, swimming deck, large grassy and woodsy areas, a paved hockey shooting area, a small sandy beach area and a separate building with a private gym.

The party last night -- a catered barbecue complete with temporary soundstage and a concert by popular Canadian band Great Big Sea -- topped off a couple of days that Crosby said was all he could have wanted and more.

The enormity of winning the Cup and bringing it home hit him during Friday's parade through Cole Harbour.

"I was fighting back tears," he said. "I grew up there. Those streets, I wasn't used to seeing crowds of people. That's where I rode my bike or I ran."

His parents, also in the parade, got a taste of that feeling, too.

"You're on the parade route and they're yelling things like, 'We love your son,' and 'Thank you,' " his father, Troy, said. "You feel that emotion from them. It's a really nice feeling."

Crosby began yesterday at an invitation-only breakfast at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame downtown, which has a large display devoted to Crosby even though he won't be eligible for induction until after he retires.

He walked in with the Cup and, like Santa, set up in a corner as relatives and friends lined up to get a few minutes and a photo. Kids beamed. Parents gathered around. Crosby set infants in the bowl atop the trophy.

After some downtime at his parents' house, he took the Cup out for photos at places such as his elementary school before heading home to take the Cup to see neighbors around the lake before the barbecue.


NOTES -- Crosby offered this report on his left knee, which was injured in Game 7 of the Cup final: "It's really good. I've skated once and there were no issues. I've got to get on it more now that we're getting close to the Olympic camp" starting Aug. 24 in Calgary. ... Forward Max Talbot, who celebrate with Crosby in Nova Scotia, said a month after left shoulder surgery: "It's doing great. I'm ahead of schedule with the movement I can do. I'm not saying I'll be back in October. It's still four or five months [total time out]. There's no reason for pushing it."

Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com.

First published on August 9, 2009 at 12:00 am