Celebrini Talks About Hip Injury: “I’m feeling great”

Macklin Celebrini is back and feeling great.

“It sucked playing one game and then having to sit out for a bit,” Celebrini said in his first media availability since opening night. “But it was the right thing to do, I’m feeling great right now and can’t wait to get back out there.”

The San Jose Sharks star had an NHL debut to remember on Oct. 10, scoring a goal and an assist, but he went on the IR after that with a hip injury.

Macklin Celebrini says that he hurt his hip during a Oct. 1 preseason match with Utah Hockey Club, when Kevin Stenlund tripped him.

“When I went into the boards, I hurt my hip a little bit in the preseason game, rehabbed it,” he said.

San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier had said that Celebrini initially hurt his hip on Sept. 24, when he left training camp practice early.

“I don’t remember that. I have no idea,” Celebrini said.

Either way, Celebrini was feeling great before opening night.

“It was feeling really good and then re-aggravated it during the first game, first shift,” he reported.

The rookie admitted that he pushed himself maybe more than he should have.

“I didn’t want to not play in that game, so I kind of stuck through it. But at the end of the game, something didn’t feel right,” Celebrini said, confirming that the injury worsened throughout the 5-4 OT loss.

Celebrini is returning to a San Jose Sharks squad that has been through hell and back.

Including opening night, the Sharks lost their first nine games, becoming the first team in NHL history to lose their first nine in a season in back-to-back years.

But three wins in their last four have seemingly put the ship back in the right direction.

“There’s a lot of joy in this locker room, since we went on that little streak,” Celebrini said.

And now, the Sharks are getting one of their best players back.