San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini is captaining Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Switzerland. This makes Celebrini the youngest-ever captain for Canada at a senior men’s world championship.
Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby, who joined the roster later, is serving as an alternate captain along with other veterans. This marks one of the rare occasions he has represented Canada internationally without wearing the “C” since 2010.
In a recent interview with TSN BarDown, Macklin Celebrini was asked to share his experience of wearing the “C”. He said
“It is an understatement to say it is a huge honor. When it all was unfolding, just being given the C and wearing it, especially with some of the guys on our roster with JT and O’Reilly and Sid, we have so many guys on our roster that lead their teams in their own right. To be given this honor is something I do not take for granted. It has been amazing having those guys around me to help.”
“He wants to get better every day” – Sidney Crosby praises Macklin Celebrini’s competitive fire as true leadership
Sidney Crosby has called Celebrini a true example of leadership. He praised the 19-year-old for his strong competitive spirit and desire to improve every day.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Crosby said:
“I love how competitive he is. He wants to get better every day, and he wants his team to get better every day. To me, that’s leadership.”
Even though Crosby is a big star, he is pleased that Celebrini is the team captain. The two are playing on the same line and have good chemistry. Celebrini has said many times that Crosby was his idol growing up.
“He’s made it easy for me,” Celebrini said of Crosby’s tutelage. “To be honest, you wouldn’t even know he’s Sidney Crosby. This is the guy who has been the face of the NHL for 20 years, someone I’ve looked up to my entire life. When I started talking with him and getting to know him, I realized what a humble human being he is. It’s made it so incredibly easy to get to know him, to talk with him. And we talk a lot.”
Under Macklin Celebrini’s leadership, Team Canada has qualified for the quarterfinals of the Men’s World Championship. They will face Team USA on Thursday.
Edited by Abhishek Dilta