Celebrini Had Day With Stanley Cup…11 Years Ago (With Martin Jones)

The 2014 playoffs were an unpleasant memory for the San Jose Sharks.

But not for Macklin Celebrini.

On Aug. 20, 2014, Martin Jones, then with the Los Angeles Kings, brought the Stanley Cup to hometown North Vancouver, and to North Shore Winter Club, where Celebrini also grew up playing.

At NSWC today, Jones’s day with the Cup is remembered with this picture.

In front of Jones, you can see a gap-toothed eight-year-old Macklin Celebrini in, horror of horrors, a Kings t-shirt.

On the far right, Macklin’s older brother, nine-year-old Aiden, is covering his mouth with his left hand.

Does the now 18-year-old Sharks star have any memories of the day?

“Not really,” Celebrini laughed. “I was young.”

He added: “I don’t know how I got there.”

Well, it looks like he’s having a great time.

One thing that Celebrini is sure of?

Even an eight-year-old Celebrini knew not to touch the Stanley Cup. Hopefully, that honor is reserved for the San Jose Sharks one day.

As for Jones, Celebrini says that’s the only time that he’s met the goaltender.

Jones, just named to the San Jose Sharks’ Quarter Century Second Team, still appears to be involved with youth hockey at North Shore Winter Club.

The Martin Jones U13 Invitational, for U13 Tier 1 and 2 teams, has been held at NSWC since 2018.

In 2014, Jones backed up Jonathan Quick on a Kings squad that came back from a 3-0 first round series deficit against the Sharks, the infamous “Reverse Sweep”. Los Angeles won three consecutive seven-game series, before crowning the New York Rangers in five to hoist the Cup.

Jones was traded to San Jose the next summer, and led the Sharks to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final and 2019 Western Conference Finals. He’s also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jones still resides in North Vancouver.