It’s a good thing that Macklin Celebrini is a spectacular, precocious, game-changing, franchise-changing, league-changing hockey player.
Because, boy, the kid is a boring quote.
Ask him about his goal that defied the laws of physics, and he’ll give you a shrug.
Ask him about single-handedly dragging a franchise out of the cellar and into a playoff race, and he’ll mutter something about “the group.”
“Not much. Tried to make a play,” Celebrini said Wednesday night.
That was his description of his game-tying goal against the Los Angeles Kings. You know, the one where he turned into some sort of demigod with the goalie pulled, weaving through traffic like a motorcycle splitting lanes on 101, before snapping a shot that would make Mike Bossy jealous.
It was a highlight-reel goal that would be the career peak for 99 percent of the NHL. For Celebrini? It might not even crack his top five from this season.
“Obviously, it worked out,” he added.
That was his analysis of his overtime winning assist — a sequence where he stripped the puck, passed it to himself off the boards, because the linesman was in the way, corralled the puck from the linesman’s feet, created a 2-on-1 out of thin air, and feathered a perfect pass to William Eklund to undress Vezina candidate Darcy Kuemper.
Boring quotes. Preposterously electric hockey.
If that’s the trade-off, San Jose will take it every single day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Because what we saw in that 4-3 overtime win over the Kings wasn’t just a nice comeback. It was yet another declaration that the Sharks are a force to be reckoned with.
They are a contender. Today. Right now.
And they’re not going away so long as 71 — with all 19 of his revolutions around the sun — is wearing teal and black.
The Sharks didn’t play poorly on Wednesday. In fact, they played well. But with 2:10 left on the clock, trailing 3-2 to a division rival, “playing well” had them in a bind.
Then, Celebrini, as he has done more than a handful of times this season, decided the Sharks weren’t losing.
It is a rare thing in sports to see a player who can simply decide to alter the outcome of a game through sheer force of will. Only the greatest of the greats can do it.
We are seeing a teenager do it for the Sharks.
The kid is on a 12-game point streak. He is third in the NHL in points. He has San Jose one point behind the Pacific Division lead.
Most impressive, however, isn’t the stat line. It’s the timing. It’s his uncanny ability to step up when the air gets thin.
There is a distinct difference between accumulating points and winning games. Celebrini is doing both, and it’s the latter aspect that cannot be overlooked or overly praised.
And because he is pulling the Sharks to wins — overpassing the growing pains this team is supposed to be having right now — he has instilled a belief in this roster and fanbase that didn’t exist six months ago.
“This is what we want. This is the position we want to be in,” Celebrini said, finally offering a slightly intriguing glimpse into the mindset. “We have a feeling in our group… It’s a different kind of swagger.”
Yes, they do. And that swagger is tangible.
And it showed up in the critical moments on Wednesday. There was no resignation or panic when the Sharks went down late.
No, it was the Kings who were pressing, because they knew they were getting two straight minutes of No. 71 on the attack.
He only needed one to tie the game. Then he ended it three minutes into overtime.
The Sharks have played 43 games. They have survived the early grind, found an identity, and a savior. It’s been a blast to watch.
And now comes the fun part.
There are 39 games left. The Sharks are hunting a division title. The league is on notice.
And Celebrini isn’t just trying to make a play; he’s in a position to make history.
There are two players in the more than 100 seasons of NHL hockey who have won the Hart Trophy as a teenager — Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby.
Celebrini is trending towards being the third.
Absurd, incredible stuff.
Just don’t expect Celebrini to give you a good soundbite about it.
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