Team Canada beat Czechia 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday in the Olympic Quarterfinals. They needed all the firepower that they could muster up against Czechia. Coach Jon Cooper had to deal with the loss of veteran Sidney Crosby. That prompted many of their younger guys to step up. No young player has stepped up more at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics than the San Jose Sharks’ teenage sensation Macklin Celebrini.
Mitch Marner winning the game in overtime is the main story. Crosby going down is a hot topic as well. However, the play of Celebrini can’t be overlooked. The Sharks’ superstar has achieved two records at the Olympics. He is the first Canadian player in any Olympics featuring NHL players to score a goal in four straight games. Overall, Celebrini is just the fourth player to do that. He joins the ranks of Sweden’s Mats Sundin, Slovakia’s Marian Hossa, and Finland’s Teemu Selanne.
Team Canada Showcasing Celebrini to the World
The 19-year-old Celebrini also became the first teenager to record multiple three-point games in any Olympics where NHL players are involved. On top of that, he is also leading the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics with his five goals. To top it all off, his incredible passing against Czechia also helped Marner to get open for the game-winning goal that is sending Team Canada to the Milano Cortina Olympics semifinals.
At 19, there is still so much left for Celebrini to learn before he reaches a true legendary status. For now, he can focus on being an offensive threat to help Team Canada advance even further at the Olympics. Their next challenge will be Finland on Friday. It’s not clear if Crosby will play in the semi-finals yet. If not, coach Cooper will need Celebrini and others to step up and help Canada advance to the gold medal game.
