Standing on a barrier fence overlooking the throngs of people after Sidney Crosby and the Stanley Cup bypassed him during Friday’s parade, a middle-aged man sporting a No. 87 Penguins jersey began yelling “unbelievable” as he videotaped the adoring crowd with his camera.
Yes, Cup fever had taken over and they had Sid the Kid to thank for it.
“Awesome, really awesome,” said Deanna Kelly, who brought her family down from Windsor to see the parade. “It’s worth it, really worth it.”
For young and old, Crosby next to the Cup was what everyone had come to see. And while some had to wait longer than others to capture the moment, depending upon where they stood on the parade route, it seemed well worth the wait for everyone.
“There it is. There it is,” a youngster yelled to his father as Crosby made his way into the parking lot at Cole Harbour Place with Lord Stanley’s mug next to him.
It seemed like every second person in the crowd of thousands was wearing something Crosby related – whether it was a T-shirt, hat or a No. 87 jersey.
Some, like 16-year-old Ryan Wilson of Oxford, took things a step further. He, along with his friend, was draped in a Nova Scotia flag and has his face painted with the Penguin team colours.
“It was great,” Wilson said of seeing the “king of hockey” with the Cup.
The Oxford Regional High School student also left impressed with Crosby’s speech to the crowd as the Pittsburgh Penguins captain paid tribute to all who helped make his Cup dream possible.
“It’s more the young man he’s become,” Wilson said. “He’s so humble and appreciative.”
