There’s a certain type of Canadian hockey star we fall for.
Not just the ones who score in bunches or skate like they’re late for something important.
No, the ones who win us over – the ones who become ours, carry themselves with a quiet dignity, a humility that feels stitched into the maple leaf itself.
At 19, heading into his first Olympics, Macklin Celebrini is already checking every box.
He’s the kid you want representing your country on the world stage.
The kid you want your own kids watching. The kid who, in true Canadian fashion, recently tried talking a referee out of giving the other team a high-sticking penalty.
Who does that? A unicorn. A throwback. A budding superstar who isn’t as unaware he’s a budding superstar, but is fully cognisant of the responsibility that comes with it.
And yes, a kid who deserves every comparison to Sidney Crosby – on the ice, off the ice, and in the way he treats the game like a privilege, not a platform.
Celebrini doesn’t shy away from the Crosby talk. Why would he? He grew up studying the man like a textbook.
At last year’s World Championships, he found himself on Crosby’s line for a few games. Imagine being 18 and suddenly sharing shifts with the guy you’ve watched your whole life conduct himself like a true gentleman.
“Everything on the ice,” Celebrini said when asked what he learned.
“I was on his line for a couple of those games and asking him questions and trying to learn from him, just the way he kind of thinks the game and talks to his linemates and things he’s looking for.
“But also off the ice, just how good of a person he is, how well he treats everybody. He’s always looking out for everybody else before himself, which is really cool to see a human being like that.”
Sound familiar?
It should. Because Celebrini is cut from the same cloth.
And Canadians are about to fall in love with him.
Not just because the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer will be perched alongside Connor McDavid and Tom Wilson on the Canadian Olympic team’s top line, but because his genuine, aw-shucks approach is the very best of what being Canadian is all about.
Ask him what he’s great at – really great at – and he won’t talk about his shot, his skating or his hockey IQ.
“I was gonna say I can make a good banana bread… but it’s my mom’s recipe,” smiled the affable teen.
Determined to come up with an answer, he chuckled.
“This is gonna be weird, but I think I’m really good at keeping my place tidy. I’m a little bit of a clean freak. I like to keep my home in order.”
Once again, he credits his mom.
Of course he does.
It’s the most Celebrini answer imaginable.
So, one wonders, what is he most looking forward to learning from the five-ring experience?
“I think just the level of play, seeing where I stand with the best-on-best pace, and how it feels,” he said.
That’s the thing about Celebrini. He’s not intimidated by the moment. He’s curious about it.
He’s not trying to prove he belongs. He’s trying to understand how high the bar is so he can vault over it.
Much like how his 200-foot game speaks to what a great teammate he is, his wide-eyed enthusiasm will make the country want to wrap their arms around him with an Olympic-sized hug.
“I got a package with a jersey, and that was pretty cool, just getting the jersey,” said San Jose’s talented centre when asked when his Olympic dreams felt real.
“The travel gear is cool as well, because it has Team Canada and the Olympic logo on it.”
He exudes Canadian pride.
With just a few sticks in his collection – Kopitar, Ovi – he’s not chasing autographs in Milan. He’s chasing memories.
And he plans to bring home plenty from Italy.
“For sure, I’ll bring back whatever I can bring back to kind of remember the tournament,” he smiled, knowing a gold medal would be the ultimate souvenir.
It would also do well to cement him as one of the next gatekeepers of our great game, the kind of boy next door you can cheer for, and know he’d never embarrass his team, his family, his country or his sport.
After all, he’s still being mentored by Joe Thornton, with whom he has been living the last two years.
“I mean, if you’ve met Jumbo, he’s just like, ‘have fun,’” Celebrini said of Joe’s Olympic advice.
“He’s just all joy. And he’s like, ‘it’s gonna be great, just enjoy it.’ Nothing too serious.”
Perfect advice for a kid who already plays like nothing fazes him.
On the ice? Nothing rattles him.
Off the ice?
“Traffic,” he said without hesitation. “I hate traffic. Every time I hit traffic it rattles me.”
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The men’s hockey tournament at Milano Cortina 2026 runs from Feb. 11-22. Follow along with all the scores and standings.
San Jose traffic isn’t exactly Los Angeles or Toronto, but to Celebrini, being limited in the speed in which he’s accustomed to operating is still “the worst.”
It’s endearing, really. The kid can stare down NHL veterans without blinking, but put him behind a slow minivan, and he’s ready to lose it.
We’ve seen phenoms before.
We’ve seen teenage stars.
We’ve seen kids arrive with hype and pressure and expectations that would crush most adults.
But Celebrini is different.
He’s grounded. He’s gracious. He’s grateful. And, oh boy, is he talented.
The kind of kid who makes you proud he’s wearing your flag.
And on Thursday, when he makes his Olympic debut against Czechia, Canadians from coast to coast will see the beginning of a new era.
Because Macklin Celebrini isn’t just the future of Canadian hockey.
He’s the present. And he’s ready.
