Statement made on 16 June 2009 by Senator Jane Cordy
Hon. Jane Cordy:
Honourable senators, dreams do come true. On Friday night, in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.
In the olden days, when there were only six teams in the NHL, I was a Detroit Red Wings fan, but that all changed when Sidney Crosby, from Cole Harbour, was drafted by the Penguins. Sidney was a student at Colby Village Elementary School, where I used to teach. He was a serious, mature young man then, so it is not surprising to see his maturity and his leadership skills today at the grand old age of 21.
I am sure that most televisions in Dartmouth Cole Harbour were tuned in to watch the hockey game on Friday night. I am not saying that there is Crosby mania in Dartmouth Cole Harbour, but Cole Harbour Place, where Sidney began his hockey career, had a big screen set up for the game and they had to turn people away because of the crowds. The Chronicle-Herald's Saturday edition had a full front page with Sidney Crosby holding the Stanley Cup, and even a local church had "Congratulations, Sid" on the display board outside.
In three short years, Sidney Crosby has been remarkable. He has shown leadership and skill to help bring the Penguins first to the playoffs, then to the finals and, this year, to the Stanley Cup. However, he is not the only prominent player on the Penguins with a Nova Scotia connection. The goaltender, Marc-André Fleury, played his junior hockey with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. I had the pleasure of watching him play in the world junior gold medal game between Russia and Canada at the Halifax Metro Centre a few years ago. He certainly rose to the challenge in game seven. I am sure the last six seconds of the game felt like six hours to him.
Honourable senators, this summer will not be the first time that the Stanley Cup comes to Cole Harbour. In 2007, Joey DiPenta played for the champion Anaheim Ducks.
I congratulate the Pittsburgh Penguins on their championship. In February, some doubted whether they would even make the playoffs and, in June, they won the Stanley Cup. I also congratulate their captain, Sidney Crosby, from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, who is the youngest captain ever to win the Stanley Cup. He is an excellent role model and a fine representative of the wonderfully talented young people we have in Nova Scotia.
Congratulations, Sidney!