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Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is bringing the Stanley Cup to Cole Harbour, N.S., next month.JASON COHN/Reuters

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is celebrating his 22nd birthday Friday in his Nova Scotia hometown with a famous piece of hardware - the Stanley Cup.

Paul Mason, who coached Crosby in minor hockey, said it means a lot to the community of Cole Harbour to have him bring the cup home.

"He wants to share it with the young and people of all ages and make it a community-based event. We're thrilled about that. The hockey community is very proud of him," said Mason.

Crosby is starting the day by landing in a Sea King helicopter at the Halifax Dockyard, where he will be speaking to members of the military and their families.

He'll then lead a parade through Cole Harbour. Thousands of people are expected to show up to greet the hockey star.

Fans will have the opportunity to pose with the Stanley Cup and ask Crosby questions.

People will also be able to visit Sidney's Hall of Fame to view photos, trophies, hockey sweaters and sticks from his career.

As a kid, Crosby practised his shooting skills in his family's basement by aiming at a dryer. The dented dryer will be on display and young hockey players will have a chance to practise their own shots with a replica dryer.

A performance by Canadian rocker Sam Roberts will cap off the festivities.

Crosby has been a hometown hero since playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as a teenager. The Metro Centre in Halifax was packed whenever his team, the Rimouski Oceanic, played the Halifax Mooseheads from 2003-2005.

But even as a young player in the Cole Harbour Minor Hockey Association, Crosby stood out.

"He was exceptional. He had an ability to see the ice and he was very tenacious," said Mason, who remembers Crosby as the most skilled player he's worked with in 31 years of coaching.

"He made, as he does now, made everyone on the ice better in the way he moves the puck, his ability to control the play. He was a very coachable young fellow."

After learning to skate on the rinks of Cole Harbour, Crosby left home in 2002 to attend Shattuck St. Mary's, a boarding school in Farbault, Minn., known for its hockey program.

He returned to Canada to play junior hockey and led the Oceanic to a Memorial Cup final in 2005.

There was plenty of buildup for Crosby's NHL debut. Years before he was drafted, Wayne Gretzky said he was the best player he'd seen since Mario Lemieux.

The hockey world buzzed that "the next one" was coming.

After turning down a $7.5-million contract with the World Hockey Association in 2004, Crosby was the much-anticipated first-round NHL draft pick in 2005.

In his rookie season with the Penguins, Crosby held his own, finishing sixth in league scoring and becoming the youngest player to score 100 points in a season.

In his second season with the franchise, Crosby started to shine. Leading the NHL in scoring, he won the Art Ross trophy, becoming the youngest person to do so. He was named the league's most valuable player and the players' association voted him the outstanding player.

After battling injury and quelling critics who said he lacked maturity, Crosby led his team to the Stanley Cup finals in his fourth season with the NHL.

The Penguins won in a seven-game final against the Detroit Red Wings. Crosby was the youngest captain ever to win the Stanley Cup.

Friday's celebration, Aug. 7, has particular significance for Crosby's career. He wears number 87 in honour of his birthday - in the eighth month, on the seventh day - and the six-year contract he signed with the Penguins in 2007 pays him $8.7 million per year.

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