Celebrini Wants One Thing From McDavid Tonight: “Do Nothing.”
Macklin Celebrini had a pretty wild first season for a teenager. His second has been even better. He’s putting up numbers, he looks like he belongs, and he’s doing all this while basically being asked to carry a chunk of the Sharks’ future. That’s a lot for a 19-year-old. But you wouldn’t know it from how relaxed he sounded talking about facing Connor McDavid.
Celebrini Gives an Honest Answer About the Game Tonight.
He was laughing when he said it, but it was also the most honest line of the day: “Tonight, I hope he does nothing. Next week, I hope he does a lot.”
And really, who can blame him? One week you’re trying to stop Connor McDavid, the next you’re supposed to skate beside him and pretend you’re on the same wavelength at the Olympics. That’s a pretty bizarre switch for anyone, let alone someone barely out of junior.
Celebrini kept coming back to the same thing: McDavid is just… different. Not in a dramatic, media-trained way — more in that quiet, almost respectful tone guys use when they’re talking about someone who’s flat-out better than everyone else.
Celebrini Is in Awe About How McDavid Skates.
He talked about the way McDavid skates, the way he tilts the ice every time he touches the puck, the way you don’t even need to “learn” from him because the lessons are all right there in front of you. Just watch him. That’s basically what Celebrini said: you don’t need speeches from McDavid. You need eyeballs.
As for tonight’s game? Celebrini called it a “test,” and not in a fake, coach-speak way. The Sharks know exactly what they’re dealing with. McDavid and Draisaitl are still McDavid and Draisaitl. You make one mistake, and you’re suddenly down two goals. Celebrini talked about keeping pucks out of their own net, staying tight defensively, all the usual things young guys say — but you could hear the respect in it. More like: We know what’s coming. Let’s see how close we are.
And off the ice? Apparently, McDavid has been nothing but nice. The two have had some quick chats, little interactions, and the usual Olympic-prep mingling. It’s enough that Celebrini feels comfortable around him. Still, you get the sense he’s like every young Canadian player: part starstruck kid, part competitor trying not to show it.
Tonight, Shut McDavid Down; Next Week, Get Him Going.
Tonight, Celebrini will try to shut McDavid down. Next week, he’s hoping to ride shotgun with him. That’s a pretty wild job description for a 19-year-old.