Chris Pronger was interviewed by The Sporting News and mentioned Sid:

Q: One of your jobs will be to make life tougher on Sidney Crosby in front of the net. Will you be sending a message to Sidney the first time you play the Penguins?

A: I don’t know, I don’t [send messages] most of the time – sometimes I do. Most of the time, it’s my job to clear the front of the net and let the goalie see the puck – whether it’s [Crosby] or whoever. I don’t need to tell you what I’m going to do or if I’m going to send a message, that’s how I play. I don’t need to go much further than that. I’m going to play the way I have the last 15-16 years of my career, let my play speak for itself.

Sidney Crosby isn’t the only one planning to celebrate when the Stanley Cup comes to Cole Harbour next week.

Dawn Harvey is one of Mr. Crosby’s biggest admirers, and on Aug. 7 she’ll be in Cole Harbour to see the Cup, her hockey hero, and to wait for the arrival of a new family member.

“My cousin’s actually pregnant and she’s due on Aug. 7,” said Ms. Harvey. “They’re keeping the name a secret, so maybe it’s Sidney.”

Ms. Harvey is such a big fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain that she got Mr. Crosby’s number — 87— in the centre of a hockey puck tattooed on her back about four years ago. If she gets the chance on Aug. 7, she’ll show the image to the NHL icon.

The hockey star was born on the seventh day of the eighth month in 1987; he’s bringing the Cup home on his 22nd birthday.

It’s official – Sidney Crosby is bringing Lord Stanley’s mug to HRM on his birthday.

As first reported last week in Metro, Crosby will host a Cole Harbour parade with the Stanley Cup on Friday, Aug. 7, the day he turns 22.

“I am very excited to bring the Stanley Cup back to Cole Harbour,” Crosby said in a release. “People from home have been so supportive of me since I was a youngster playing at Cole Harbour Place. I want as many people as possible to be part of this day.”

The parade will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Portland Hills bus terminal and head down to Cole Harbour Place.

It’ll be similar to the celebrations that took place two years ago when Joe DiPenta brought the Stanley Cup to Cole Harbour – only bigger.

“We’ve heard numbers of 40,000,” said committe chair Paul Mason. “We’re prepared for that. We’ve been working with the RCMP, the Halifax Regional Police, HRM. We’re prepared for those numbers – we’re prepared if it gets bigger.”

People will have a chance to get their picture taken with the Cup. But due to the overwhelming demand, a special draw will take place for 87 people to get their picture taken with the Cup and Crosby himself.

Ballots for the draw come with the purchase of a limited edition poster. All proceeds from the sales go to charity through the Sidney Crosby Foundation.

“Any money you spend there is 100 per cent going to charity,” Mason said. “If you bought a hot dog, 100 per cent is going to charity.”

An undetermined band will also be playing at the event. Minor hockey associations will be sending Timbit hockey players to participate in 3-on-3 ground hockey games, with Crosby possibly taking part. He will also have a Q&A session with fans.

Link

It’s been six weeks since Sidney Crosby hoisted the Stanley Cup, but the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has scored another win — this time, with staffers at a Tim Hortons in Strathmore, Alta.

The NHL star recently furnished the doughnut shop with a personally autographed picture to replace one stolen from the eatery earlier this month.

“It’s pretty neat,” said Lindsay Rohl, the outlet’s general manager.

The new photo — this one depicting Crosby holding hockey’s Holy Grail — showed up in the mail last week, said Rohl.

“He must have caught wind of it through the press,” he said.

As excited as staff at the Tim’s outlet are about the replacement picture, Rohl said they’re giving careful thought about where to put it.

“We’re trying to find a place for it that’s a little more safe and secure,” he said.

The stolen photo hasn’t been recovered and the thief hasn’t been caught.

The culprit took it from the store at about 12:40 a.m. on July 6, when staff members weren’t looking.

The thief was last seen running across the Trans-Canada Highway with the stolen picture in hand.

He is described as a Caucasian man in his early 20s; six feet tall and 180 pounds with medium build. He wore a white T-shirt with a large brown and blue logo, dark blue jeans, dark runners and a white or beige baseball cap.

Strathmore is about 50 kilometres east of Calgary.

National Post

Sidney Crosby will carry hockey’s top prize home to Nova Scotia on Aug. 7.

The captain of the champion Pittsburgh Penguins, a Cole Harbour native, is hoping for a big turnout for the parade and question-and-answer session.

“People from home have been so supportive of me since I was a youngster playing at Cole Harbour Place. I want as many people as possible to be part of this day,” he said in a release Tuesday.

The celebration will kick off at 2:30 p.m. with a parade from the Portland Hills bus terminal on Portland Street to Cole Harbour Place.

Later, fans will be able to question Crosby and have their photo taken with the Stanley Cup. The event will end with a concert.

Details are expected in the coming days.

CBC.ca

It appears Cole Harbour’s Sidney Crosby is planning an extra-special birthday party for Friday, Aug. 7.

A source told Metro Halifax yesterday Crosby is finalizing plans to bring the Stanley Cup to Cole Harbour and Halifax on his 22nd birthday, although there has been no confirmation from the committee organizing the visit.
Committee chair Paul Mason would only say that Crosby is on the verge of making an official announcement.
“Right now, the date is pretty much secured but it’s not being released,” said Mason, a family friend and a former coach of Crosby’s. “It will be announced possibly by the end of this week or the beginning of next week at the latest.”

Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL history to win the Cup when he helped the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in a memorable seven-game series.

He has used his birthdate – Aug. 7, 1987 – to form the No. 87 on his jersey and his annual salary of $8.7 million.
Crosby has said he wants to have a parade, bring the Cup to the IWK Health Centre and share it with his hometown.

First it was a fake Sidney Crosby shilling for money to fix up a Minnesota park. On Wednesday, it was Evgeni Malkin’s turn.

MySpace on Tuesday yanked a page claiming to be hosted by Crosby after lawyers for the Penguins’ captain contacted the social networking site. Facebook followed suit.

At 4:14 a.m. yesterday, the fundraising plea moved to “Geno Mano Mev 86,” a MySpace page claiming to belong to Malkin.

“Fundraiser es up. Ples mesg fur mur details. Goal is 2,100,” a message read under the heading “Park.”

Malkin’s agents in Los Angeles could not be reached for comment. As with the Crosby page, Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said the Russian center has nothing to do with it.

“I think it’s very obvious that all this stuff is bogus,” McMillan said.

The messages reportedly sought to raise $5,100 to rebuild a playground at Phelps Park in Minneapolis. The money was to be sent via Western Union to Stephanie Biddlecom, 23, a professional wrestler.

Biddlecom could not be reached for comment yesterday. On Tuesday, she told the Tribune-Review she raised more than $2,000. She denied being behind the Crosby site.

“No, that’s not me,” Biddlecom said. “That’s Sidney.”

Although they know of Crosby, Minneapolis park officials said he is not involved in any fundraising effort for them. In fact, they said the park in question does not need repairs. They said they had never heard of Biddlecom.

Kristi Briggs, a Penguins fan from Indianapolis, filed two complaints this week concerning the fake Crosby and Malkin pages with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, an effort of the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center in Richmond, Va.

Because Briggs did not lose money by donating to the cause, her complaints will not be passed on to law enforcement officials, said Craig Butterworth, a spokesman with the National White Collar Crime Center. That could change if more complaints are filed, he said.

“We still want the information, because it helps us identify emerging crime trends,” Butterworth said.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_633865.html

Pensburgh reports that Sidney won the ESPY award for Best Hockey Player. Check out their report here.

The 2009-2010 regular season schedule has been released by the NHL. You can check it out here.

The first game is Friday, October 2nd in Pittsburgh vs the New York Rangers.

Sidney Crosby is the latest celebrity victim of impersonation.

Some fans may think Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby scored an assist for a Minnesota park this week, but neither he nor park officials knew anything about an apparently bogus effort to raise money in his name through a MySpace page.

A message sent Monday from the MySpace page, “If You See Crosby,” asked for help to raise $3,000 for Phelps Park in Minneapolis. In exchange for a donation, preferably sent via Western Union, “Sid” promised to send a “game-played, autographed stick,” the message stated.

“That is not Sidney Crosby,” Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said Tuesday. “He does not have a MySpace page.”

In fact, MySpace removed the site after receiving a complaint from Los Angeles-based Creative Artists Agency, which represents Crosby.

Fans who received the fundraising plea were asked to send money to Stephanie Biddlecom, 23, of Minneapolis, a small-time professional wrestler known as “Cerise Keller.”

Two Pens fans — one in Indiana County and another in Indianapolis — teamed up several months ago to expose the site after they learned Crosby had nothing to do with it.

“Could you picture Sidney Crosby asking for money over Western Union?” asked Kellie Taylor, 40, of Blairsville.

Taylor’s cyber-sleuth partner, Kristi Briggs, 38, filed a complaint Monday with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center in Richmond, Va.

“That’s fraud. It’s inexcusable,” Briggs said.

In an interview with the Tribune-Review, Biddlecom insisted Crosby was helping her raise money to rebuild a playground destroyed by a gang. She said she met Crosby three years ago when his cousin began dating her sister. Biddlecom said she speaks with Crosby daily.

Biddlecom said fans sent $500 yesterday, bringing the total to $2,250.

“I don’t know how much Sid raised. He hasn’t told me,” Biddlecom said. “If he has to take it on himself, he will. It’s no killer; $750 is nothing to him.”

A lawyer for Crosby confirmed her client has nothing to do with the site.

“Unfortunately, this happens,” said CAA’s Laura Keegan. She said Crosby and other celebrity clients have been victims of impersonators before.

Phelps Park, an urban recreational center, needs no work and has not been burned down as Biddlecom claimed, Minneapolis park officials said.

“That’s an absolute, 100 percent fabrication,” said Obie Kipper Jr., a district manager with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

MySpace spokeswoman Jamie Schumacher said the site would assist in any legal action.

Park officials said they would like law enforcement to step in, especially if people were ripped off.

Should Crosby ever want to help raise money for Minneapolis parks, officials there said they would be thrilled.

“Heck, we’d love to have him on our team,” Kipper said.

Sid is nominated for an ESPY award!

The best in sports and entertainment will gather at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles to celebrate the memorable moments, record breaking achievements and top athletes in the last year of sports. Samuel L Jackson will host the ceremony, which takes place on Wednesday, July 15 (airs on ESPN on July 19). Fans will determine the best performances across 30 plus categories. There’s everything from Best Male/Female Athlete, Best Women’s Tennis Player, Best Team, etc.

Best NHL Player
Alexander Ovechkin (Capitals)
Evgeni Malkin(Penguins)
Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings)
Sidney Crosby (Penguins)

Three weeks removed from winning the Stanley Cup and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby still has a lot on his mind: the club’s free-agency developments; Team Canada and the 2010 Vancouver Games; his injured left leg, day with the Cup and designing a championship ring. Oh, and Marian Hossa. Crosby talked Thursday to the Tribune-Review from his offseason home in Halifax, Nova Scotia:

What is the update on your injury?

It feels pretty good. I’ve been getting treatment here. I’m probably two weeks from being able to go full out. It’s basically a bruise, a deep bruise, right above my knee. There was no structural damage to my knee, but it has the feel of a muscle detachment all up my leg.

It was Game 7 when you were hurt, but how much time would you have missed had this injury happened earlier in the playoffs?

That’s pretty hard to say because we’re talking about the playoffs; you play if you can. I would guess maybe a week, because it’s almost a month later, and I still don’t feel great on everything — like deep squats. I’ll be ready for training camp, for sure.

How comfortable are you with the Penguins’ long-term plans, because it doesn’t appear there is available cap space for a big-name winger for either you or Evgeni Malkin?

I’m definitely (comfortable). I think I can speak for anybody and say we want to win. That’s what motivates you. We push ourselves to be better and produce no matter who we play with. It’s not an easy thing with the cap to say you can (pay) X-ammount for a certain positions. It’s impossible to do that. We’ve got depth and guys that can play different roles. We want to win, and this group can do that.

What is your assessment of the club’s offseason dealings?

(General manager) Ray (Shero) has done all he can to keep our team together. We all knew after the Final it was impossible to keep everybody. The guys that are moving on were guys that a lot of teams wanted. They earned that right. They’ve played awesome. It’s just the way things work.

Were you surprised to learn former teammate Marian Hossa had signed a long-term deal with Chicago?

No. That’s what he wanted – a long-term contract with a good team. It’s a good deal for him, a good spot. They had a really good run last year, and they’re going to be better with him.

You will join teammates Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal at an August orientation camp for potential participation with the Canada men’s ice hockey team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Why should all three of you make the team?

It’s hard to teach championship experience. We have that. Staal can bring a lot of different things to any team; he does for us in Pittsburgh. He’s got a big body, and he can kill penalites and play against top players. As for “Flower,” well, he’s a big-game guy now. He’s been a consistent performer in the past two playoffs, and he’s won how many winner-take-all games. You need a goalie that can step up. If you look at those goalies on the camp list, they can all step up. “Flower” belongs with any of them.

What would it mean for you to represent your country in these Games?

I couldn’t describe it. (Canadians) grow up wanting to win the Cup, but this is something more than hockey. It’s a cultural thing. The whole country is going to come togther like nobody has seen before. I’ve seen it (for other international events), but I can’t imagine what this will be like in Canada.

Should you be Team Canada’s captain?

Oh, wow; that’s a loaded one. Truthfully, there’s not even just a handful of options. There’s way more than that. A lot of guys that could play for Canada have proven they are leaders. We would have no shortage of leadership. Whoever wears the letters — it’s a great accomplishment, great honor. But those guys will be well surrounded by leaders up and down the roster.

Fleury says he wants to take the Cup through a drive-thru at McDonalds. What are your plans for the day with it?

I just want to get as many people in my hometown — Cole Harbor (Nova Scotia) — to see it as I possibly can, and I’d really like to bring it to a big children’s hospital there. Maybe we can have a little parade. I just want to share it with everybody.

There are pictures of you on the Internet sleeping with the Cup.

(Laughing) We don’t have to go there, but I do have this idea of playing street hockey with my friends – winning team gets the Stanley Cup. We always used to pretend the Cup was on the line in our street hockey games, so now it really can be.

Are you on the championship ring design committee?

I haven’t heard yet. I guess that is something to be discussed a little more. I’m sure they’ll run it by some of the guys. I don’t wear rings, so I don’t really have an opinion. Some guys that wear rings will want it a little smaller. Other guys probably want a huge and bulky ring. Either way, I’m not going to complain.

What can you complain about right now?

Nothing.

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