Sidney Crosby to spend summer teaching hockey at his hometown rink

Sidney Crosby looks up ice while playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs during third period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

This summer, young Maritime hockey players will have the opportunity to learn from the best, Sidney Crosby.

Crosby grew up playing hockey in Cole Harbour, N.S. Posters around his childhood arena Cole Harbour Place advertise that he will once again be hitting the ice in his hometown, this time teaching children at a hockey camp.

“It developed through a conversation with Sidney’s father and maybe a few other people,” says Paul Mason, Sidney Crosby Hockey School organizer.

Mason was Crosby's PeeWee AAA coach and was asked to help at the NHL star’s first hockey camp in Nova Scotia.

“It's important to Sidney that it's in Cole Harbour,” says Mason.

TSN anchor and correspondent Paul Hollingsworth says Crosby likes to stay connected to his hometown.

“He also loves the fact that he comes from here,” says Hollingsworth. “It's always close to him. He could choose to live in Pittsburgh 12 months of the year, but he chooses to come home the first opportunity he can.”

Crosby has been in the National Hockey league since the 2005-2006 season. Hollingsworth says there is probably a very good reason why it has taken 10 years for the hockey camp to come about.

“He probably had a lot of endorsements to walk through, cemented himself in his career,” says Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth adds that injuries like concussions may have been a factor.

The Sidney Crosby Hockey School will be open to 120 kids between the ages of eight to 12, boys and girls. Demand is expected to be very high and the exact criteria has yet to been determined for admission to the camp.

“Kids from Nova Scotia are going to be in this camp for sure and we also have to recognize that there's going to be interest from outside Nova Scotia, across Canada and maybe the U.S.,” says Mason. “Because it's a hockey camp, kids are going to have played before. That will be one thing that we have a minimum of, just played, but it's not about skill, that's not going to prioritize people at all.”

Mason says Crosby is likely to teach more than hockey.

“Being a good person, whereever you are, is an important foundation,” says Mason.

The children who end up hitting the ice with the Pittsburgh Penguins captain will encounter a talented player with a big heart.

“When he's dealing with people of all ages, especially younger people, he looks like a very kind person having a very good time,” says Hollingsworth.

Mason says there may be others coming with Crosby for the camp, adding to the excitement already surrounding the camp.

Registration closes in May and the camp runs August 3 to 7.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant