Sidney Crosby to headline event honouring 15 top all-time Nova Scotia athletes

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) brings the puck around Ottawa Senators’ Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 6, 2018, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

HALIFAX — Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby will be the headline attendee of an event this summer to honour the top 15 Nova Scotia athletes of all time.

The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame dinner is to be held July 26 at the Halifax Convention Centre.

Living members from the Top 15 list are to share their stories with Hall of Fame CEO Bruce Rainnie, including Crosby, who was voted the top athlete in the province’s history.

Other athletes scheduled to attend include curling legend Colleen Jones, Hockey Hall of Famer Al MacInnis, Olympic canoeing medallist Steve Giles, international softball star Mark Smith, kayaking world champion Karen Furneaux, Canada’s top gymnast Ellie Black, Paralympic gold-medallist Jamie Bone, and Olympic kayaking medallist Mark De Jonge.

Proceeds from the event will be shared by the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame and The Sidney Crosby Foundation, which assists charities that improve the lives of disadvantaged children.

The Nova Scotia hall initiated the Top 15 project in 2017, which saw a panel of experts and the public rank the province’s top athletes of all time.

A corresponding exhibit will remain on display at the hall for the remainder of this year, and a book is expected to be released this summer.