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NHL 2026 Olympic Hockey Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring for Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images MILAN — The chain of events that led to this moment in Macklin Celebrini’s life is important. As naturally predisposed as the 19-year-old Vancouver native seems to be to thrive in the most elite hockey environment in the world, to play on Team Canada’s top line at the Olympics, to play on the best player in the world’s wing, and to score Canada’s first goal of the tournament in a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) on Thursday, there is some nurture involved as well. Advertisement In a way, Celebrini was born for this, because it takes a special makeup to not only be able to do what he is doing at his age but also to leave the impression he is leaving on his Team Canada teammates. Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby had just completed his rookie season in the NHL when Celebrini was born, and if there is anyone who knows a thing or two about displaying a level of maturity beyond his years as a teenager in an elite environment, it would be Crosby. “He believes in himself, ” Crosby said. “I think he works hard. He’s obviously earned the right to be here. I don’t think he was a guy that was on the bubble. He played his way on to the team and he’s had an incredible year so far and just carried it over to today. ” Nathan Mac Kinnon is a notoriously professional athlete who can be a little, say, intolerant of behavior that doesn’t meet his standards. And yet Mac Kinnon is not only impressed by what he’s seen from Celebrini, he feels there are lessons to be learned from how the teenager carries himself. “I think he trusts his game, he trusts his process and how he does things, his preparation, ” Mac Kinnon said. “It’s impressive, it’s amazing to see someone at 19 be that dialed in to their off ice, their on ice, their everything. “I think everyone can learn from him, even though he’s 19. None of us are perfect and we always can learn new things, and I’m definitely trying to learn from him and everyone that’s here. ” Celebrini is playing the wing with Connor Mc David and Tom Wilson in Milan, and is therefore not on the ice a whole lot with Crosby and Mac Kinnon. But they are a big part of the nurturing that Celebrini received to prepare for this moment. Celebrini’s background is well-documented. His father Rick worked for the Vancouver Canucks and still works for the Golden State Warriors as their director of sports medicine and performance. Warriors stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr routinely talk about Celebrini as if he were a nephew. Growing up in that environment definitely had an impact on Celebrini’s ability to integrate and feel comfortable around athletes of this caliber on the biggest stage in sports; Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong admitted Wednesday it may have “subconsciously” contributed to his management team’s comfort level in picking a player so young for this team. Advertisement But another important event in Celebrini’s life came at last year’s IIHF World Championships, where Celebrini played the entire tournament on Crosby’s wing and was also exposed to Mac Kinnon — in addition to current Team Canada teammates Bo Horvat and Travis Sanheim. When Celebrini returned from that tournament, at some point after he celebrated his 19th birthday, Crosby invited Celebrini to join him in Nova Scotia for some of the legendary summer training sessions that regularly include Mac Kinnon and another Olympic teammate, Brad Marchand. Celebrini couldn’t turn down an invitation like that. So when Mac Kinnon is asked if he could imagine doing what Celebrini is doing at age 19, he has a bit more background information to go on when making his determination. “No, no, ” he said. “I sure can’t. ” Why not? “I was an idiot, ” he said. “No, no. Not good enough, not mature enough, not anything enough. ” When Celebrini was at worlds, he was deferring to Crosby, as any 18-year-old would when playing wing man to an all-time great and childhood idol. In the final seconds of the second period against the Czechs on Thursday, however, when Mc David gathered the puck in the offensive zone and began breaking in on goal down the right side of the ice, Celebrini was breaking to the net on the back door. He wasn’t doing it to go for a rebound of Mc David’s shot. He wanted to shoot it himself. Celebrini banged his stick on the ice, a signal to the best player in the world that he wanted the puck. Mc David tried getting it to him. It didn’t work. But that’s not the point. There is no deferring in Celebrini’s game anymore. As Crosby said, he wasn’t on the bubble to make this team. He is an important player, one Mac Kinnon already considers to be one of the “top five or seven” players in the world. At 19. Advertisement And Celebrini is not only calling for passes from Mc David, he is taking in information with each passing day on how to play with him, how best to not only maximize Mc David’s skills but put himself in a position to maximize his own. “With his speed and his vision and the kind of player he is, he’s one of a kind. I don’t think you’ll find someone else like him, except for 29 on our team, ” Celebrini said, with Mac Kinnon, No. 29 for Canada, answering questions a few feet away. “I think just the way he thinks the game, the way he plays, it takes a little bit to get used to. But I thought we played well. ” The early impression he has left on Mc David may seem a bit redundant at this point, but the fact that Mc David tried to pass that puck to Celebrini at the end of the second shows the level of trust that has already grown between the two: the best player in the world and the player perhaps slated to take his place one day. “He’s so, so impressive, ” Mc David said. “At 19 years old, he’s a great, young player. Not just because he’s so good with the puck, but just all the little things he does, the hard work he puts into the game. He’s good along the wall, wins battles, plays just a hard game. An impressive kid. ” Celebrini said he was nervous prior to the game. Even Mac Kinnon was nervous. They were both making their Olympic debut, after all. But once the game began, Celebrini said, the nerves went away. He simply played the only way he knows how. The stage, the role, the teammates — none of it was too much for him to handle. And even after the game, just minutes after stepping off the ice, Celebrini had the presence of mind to be able to properly verbalize what it means to be at the Olympics in a way players 10 years his senior would have trouble matching. “I think it’s all pride, you’re just honored to wear the Canadian sweater and represent all the people back at home and all the other athletes that are here, ” Celebrini said. “I think that’s the biggest thing, that we’re not Team Canada. Every athlete, whether they’re in Cortina or down here, we’re all repping Team Canada and trying to make the people back home proud. ” Yes, Celebrini has benefited from a lot of nurturing from childhood to now. But there is a lot that seems naturally special about this teenager. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Arpon Basu has been the editor-in-chief of The Athletic Montréal since 2017. Previously, he worked for the NHL for six years as managing editor of LNH. com and a contributing writer on NHL. com. Follow Arpon on Twitter @Arpon Basu