Macklin Celebrini is excited about a lot of things.
He’s part of what’s been called “the hardest team in the world to make” in Team Canada’s Olympic roster. He’s pumped that the San Jose Sharks have traded for a “dawg” like Kiefer Sherwood.
He also spoke on the pressure that comes with being named to the Canadian national team (and consoling Michael Misa after Misa’s World Juniors disappointment) and teases reporters.
Macklin Celebrini, on getting closer to the Olympics:
It’s coming up quick. I mean, it’s all I think about—just the preparation and trying to be as ready as I can for it. There’s still a lot of excitement, there’s just a big lead-up to it in these last couple of weeks heading into it—just a lot of anticipation.
Celebrini, on what kind of role he expects to be playing at the Olympics:
I have no idea, I’m happy with whatever.
Celebrini, on the Kiefer Sherwood trade:
I think it’s great. That’s what we want in this locker room, is to add pieces that will hopefully help us win. I talked to him this morning, he’s an awesome guy, and I think we’re all excited for him to get into the lineup and start playing.
Celebrini, on his memory of the Olympics growing up:
I was a little bit too young [for Vancouver], but I remember faint memories of playing road hockey during the game—I’ve re-watched the game, so it’s maybe a little bit of memories from that. Obviously, every time you look back on that moment and just the emotion that it caused for the city and the country, I think you still feel that excitement for it.
[The game] was just on at Christmas time, so we had it on. You’re not watching to dissect the game, you’re just watching it as a fan and trying to relive that day.
Celebrini, on whether he thinks making the Olympic team is “the hardest team in the world to make” is true:
That’s what people are saying.
Celebrini, on the scheduling for the Olympics lining up with the NBA All-Star break:
It worked out perfectly. Thankfully, two out of my three siblings are able to come, and both of my parents are able to come. My older brother [Aiden] is going to be playing in the Bean Pot, I’m pretty sure, so he can’t come, but it’s gonna be nice to have most of my family there.
Celebrini, on whether he’s spoken to any of his Warriors connections about the Olympics:
Just a quick conversation, nothing too crazy.
Celebrini, on Steph Curry:
You watch what he’s able to do right now and some of the games that we’ve been to and see the highlights on Instagram and other places and see the production and what he’s still able to do. He’s an all-time legend in the Bay and in the NBA. Every time you turn on the TV, it’s fun to watch.
Celebrini, on whether he feels the Sharks are also building something special in the Bay Area:
I really hope so. I think you kind of see it a little bit more in the vibe around our team. People are coming to our games a little bit more, the Tank is getting a little bit more full. I hope it gets to that point. Right now, we’re doing everything we can to keep it going in that direction. It’ll take a couple of years, but I think we’re getting there.
Celebrini, on whether the San Jose Sharks are trending in the right direction:
We’re playing some good hockey. That was obviously a tough little stretch there with the back-to-backs and the teams that we played, but we came out of it with a decent record—obviously, dropped a couple of games that I think we could have made more of and maybe won, but I think we just have to look forward to this next road trip and obviously, first and foremost, Friday.
Celebrini, on what Sherwood will add to the Sharks:
He’s a dawg, just the way he competes, the way he battles. He’s hard to play against, and that’s something that I respected playing against him. Anytime you’re matched up against him, it’s not going to be easy. I’m happy to have that on our team.
Celebrini, on whether he might feel differently wearing the uniform for Canada versus the San Jose Sharks:
One’s my country, one’s the NHL team I play for. Anytime you play for Team Canada, just growing up watching World Juniors and watching some of the Olympics and other international competitions, there’s a sense of pride and honor that goes with putting on that sweater. I think making your hometown and your country proud is something that I think anyone in the world should have pride in doing, and just being able to do that at the Olympics with the whole world watching and the magnitude of that event, I think it’s just gonna be pretty special.
Celebrini, on whether he felt NHL players were “missing” these in past Olympic games:
Without best-on-best, it’s hard to pay close attention to it. I mean, I still watched it when it was in Beijing around four years ago, but with best-on-best, with the top players in the world, I think it just brings a little bit more excitement.
Celebrini, on whether the Olympic selection make him more proud to be Canadian:
I mean, that’s my country, that’s where I’m from, and that’s where I grew up.
Celebrini, on getting to know Sherwood:
I just talked to him this morning, so I’ve only spent 20 minutes with him. Like I said, he’s a competitor. I didn’t like playing against him, just because of how hard he battled and how hard he competed. Obviously, he has a knack for scoring goals as well, so I think it’ll add a lot of character and a lot of different personality.
Celebrini, on getting Vincent Desharnais back:
Yeah, I heard you guys didn’t ask him about his goal. He didn’t like that, get some recognition there. We love everyone in our room, I think our group is so tight. Anytime you get to see someone come back from a long injury where they were away from the group for so long, I think it gives you a boost. It’s gonna be the same when Kurashev comes back, and I think it just speaks to how close our group is.
Celebrini, on the pressure that Canadian players feel going into large competitions and tournaments:
I think there’s a lot of expectations for us to win. I think that is the only expectation, that we come home with the gold. Obviously, that’s what we want. That’s what the US, Sweden, Finland, and every country that goes there wants, the gold. I think the pressure and the pride in the way that people think about hockey in Canada, that’s just what they want. They want to see their country do well, and they want to see us represent our country the right way. I think it’s what everyone wants, but there is definitely an expectation of coming home with the gold.
Celebrini, on a message to Michael Misa when he came back from the World Juniors:
I mean, I went there and lost in the quarter final, so people weren’t too happy with me. He did a little bit better than I did, but I know what he went through and kind of what he dealt with.
Celebrini, on the upcoming schedule:
We gotta keep winning, we gotta keep playing the right way. That was probably the hardest stretch of scheduling we had, just with the back-to-backs and travel and stuff. Hopefully, the rest of the year we’ve got most of that stuff out of the way. We’re going to have to earn it, we’re going to have to keep playing well, we’re going to have to keep winning games and proving to [Grier] that he needs to add some pieces.
Celebrini, on how he appears to be having so much fun on the ice:
I started playing hockey as a kid because it was fun and because I love to do it. I think just because there’s people talking about you now—and, I mean, obviously everyone who’s here, it was their dream to play in the NHL—you can’t really put too much pressure on yourself and listen to what other people have to say.
Celebrini, on the difference between hockey in California now versus Vancouver as a kid:
Hockey in Vancouver, there was a rink every two minutes if you drove, so here, it’s a little more spread out, which was a little tougher to find ice and skate. Once you’re around the rink, everyone loves hockey.
It’s tough to kind of compare because it’s so different. The culture is so different, that’s a tricky question. The attention and Montreal and Toronto and Vancouver, hockey is very much the focus, unlike here where you have the MLB and NBA, I guess. Everywhere else in Canada, hockey is kind of your main focus. It’s what the city prides itself on, it’s their passion. Down here, there’s so many different options that it’s just so different, there’s more attention spread out.
