San Jose Sharks
Sharks Locker Room: Overcoming Adversity
Hockey can be a humbling sport, even for Macklin Celebrini.
The San Jose Sharks up 3-2 late in the third period, Celebrini threw a pizza up the middle of the ice, and Mats Zuccarello tied it.
🗣️ZUUUUUUUUCY🗣️ pic.twitter.com/0BrPzZX273
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 31, 2025
This would’ve been a cold way to end unofficial Celebrini Coronation Day. This morning, the 19-year-old was named to the Canadian Olympic team, the first NHL teenager to be named to Team Canada since NHL’ers started going to the Winter Games in 1998. Celebrini followed that announcement up with a goal and an assist to give the Sharks a lead against one of the best teams in the league.
"That’s something I’ve never had before."
Celebrini talks MVP chants, excitement over being named to Team Canada, #SJSharks at 20 wins this season here –> https://t.co/GZWW6FMPvP pic.twitter.com/cWWlhCZRN5
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 1, 2026
But more important than the mistake is how you respond. And Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks did just that, pulling out a 4-3 shootout victory.
“He’s a smart, smart individual. He knows. That’s something that Mack will continue to get better at,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky admitted. “When we don’t have momentum, keep our game a little bit more simple.”
After his turnover, Celebrini fired five shot attempts at Jesper Wallstedt to end regulation and in OT. He also scored on the shootout.
Yaroslav Askarov is also an example of a young Shark who responded to adversity by stepping up his game. Beat on three long shots tonight, perhaps the most galling being the Marcus Foligno bad angle one-timer that made it 3-2, Askarov responded to his teammate’s turnover by stoning Quinn Hughes on an OT breakaway, then shutting the Wild out in the shootout.
“He’s mentally tough. Obviously doesn’t love the second one, but the breakaway there on Hughes is a huge save. Gives us a little jolt there,” Warsofsky said. “And then in the shootout, he was locked in.”
Jesper Wallstedt on playing against Askarov:
“It's fun. Obviously, I played against Askarov since I was 15. We're the same age, and we've played national teams since way back. So this is probably my 20th game against him, and maybe like the second in the NHL. So it's always fun…— William Espy (@William_Espy) January 1, 2026
The San Jose Sharks are now 20-17-3, matching last season’s win total in just 40 games.
Obviously, Celebrini’s ascension to superstardom is a key reason behind it. But another? Young Sharks like Celebrini and Askarov bouncing back from mistakes, Shakir Mukhamadullin overcoming an upper-body injury that made him a game-time decision, and Ty Dellandrea playing through illness, in short, San Jose overcoming adversity like, dare I say it, a playoff team.
The Sharks now have the No. 1 wild card spot.
“I don’t think many people had us in this spot right now,” Warsofsky said.
Foligno called Celebrini a future Hall of Famer https://t.co/Ge4VKuzlzd
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 1, 2026
John Klingberg
Klingberg, on what the San Jose Sharks are doing right:
I think what we’re seeing right now, and what I feel in the locker room, is we got a lot of confidence in our team structure, how we need to play, and there’s a lot of trust in knowing what the other guy is going to do on the ice. You don’t see a lot of breakdowns, turnovers, easy mistakes and stuff like that. I think you see a full five man unit out there doing the right things, and I think that’s why we’re limiting some opportunities defensively, but we’re also getting longer offensive zone time as well. You need that to score goals.
Klingberg, on recognizing Macklin Celebrini’s talent:
I think you saw it right away. What he’s been doing is obviously very exciting for this city, this organization, the fans and for us players as well. But ever since day one, I think he just has been driving the bus. It’s easy to follow him, and [it’s a] very well earned spot for him.
Klingberg, on what he meant by Celebrini “driving the bus:
He’s involved in all the leadership meetings. He’s a great teammate, taking care of the young guys, even if he’s a young guy too. You guys see him on the ice, he’s leading with a purpose on the ice, but even in the locker room. He’s got a voice, he’s talking. He’s a lot of fun to be around, and very mature for his age.
Jeff Skinner
Skinner, on his first impressions of Celebrini:
Like everyone else saying, obviously he’s one of the best players in the league. It’s just fun to be around a player like that. I think he does a lot for our team. Brings it every night, brings guys into the fight. I think that’s kind of the biggest thing, is you see him every night [playing] the same way. A lot of guys go through their careers trying to find that consistency. He seems to have found it pretty early. His play and his skill speaks for itself. It’s been fun to watch, I think for everyone, myself included in that.
Skinner, on his line’s performance:
Obviously some games you feel better. I think the line played well. I thought Reggie played great. He wins a lot of battles. He’s obviously a big guy and really tough for other teams to handle on the boards. Thought Delly was good too. I think he’s always solid. When the lines feeling good, guys are reading off each other, that’s when I think you start to make some more plays and play with the puck a little bit more. I thought we had some good looks. Think there’s still some things we want to work on get better, but overall, pretty good.
Skinner, on what the San Jose Sharks did right:
Just playing hard, trying to play a good, solid game. Guys capitalized on opportunities when we got the chance. Cherny obviously made a big goal for us, and then Asky made some huge saves for us. I think overall, it’s just a good team game. Guys were reading off each other well, and that’s what you need. When you play a good team, things are going to be tight. It’s going to be back and forth. They’re going to get chances. There’s going to be breakdowns either way, and you just have to stick with it.
William Eklund
Eklund, on what’s making the difference for the San Jose Sharks:
Guys buying in. We do the things we talk about and that pays off. If you keep doing that. Trust the process. Things are going to turn around.
Eklund, on Celebrini making the Canadian Olympic Team:
You can say a lot of things about Mack, and he deserves that spot so much. I’m just happy for him. He’s such a good guy outside of hockey also, you got to think about that too. He’s one of the hardest worker I’ve ever seen, so he deserves all the credit he gets, and he’s just gonna keep getting better.
Eklund, on if the team’s confidence has risen:
Yeah, I think so. We know mistakes are going to happen in the game. We all try our best out there, [but] it’s gonna happen. If we stick to what we can do in the next next play, we’re going to be a hell of a team, and that’s what we showed today.
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on closing out 2025 with a win at home:
It’s nice for our fans to get rewarded. I think that’s important. We had great energy from our in our building today, [for an] afternoon game to close out 2025 and our team is playing some pretty good hockey.
Warsofsky joked, on day that Sharks matched last year’s entire win total in just 40 games, that he’s still got all of his kids 😆
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 1, 2026
Warsofsky, on Chernyshov’s goal:
That is an NHL move. The speed, the demand that he wants with the puck. You know him and Mack have some chemistry going right now. [It was] a great finish. We’ve seen that he had a couple of chances [with a] similar move. He actually just keeps getting better, similar to Mack.
Scraping out these messy imperfect wins is a big part of becoming a good team.
With Chernyshov’s success on Celebrini’s line, maybe this will be the opportunity for Smith to try centering his own when he comes back. This team will be a big more dangerous opponent if it has a true 1-2 punch down the middle. Even if Smith ultimately moves to wing with Misa as his center, having two high-end scoring lines.
Maybe! Also, Cherny and Misa have played very well together before, so maybe they try to make the scoring duo thrive to create our 1-2 punch
That might be my first move when Misa gets back. I would do
Celly, Smith, Kurashev
Misa, Eky, Cherny
Wenny, Graf, Gaudette
Delly, upchuck, Goody.
Dam that possibility is exciting! But I’d put Reaves in over Goody if everyone’s healthy.
I think you have to go back-and-forth with those two
I don’t think it’s likely Misa comes back. There’s such a crowd up front already. Why burn a year of his ELC? Let him heal up and play some hockey in a low pressure environment.
Maybe? I have no real good guess on what they do. I do agree that having him play big minutes is the best thing for his development even if it’s at a lower level. But this team has shown they’re fine developing guys at the NHL level too if necessary. I don’t think the care about sliding the ELC at this point. I think keeping some skill depth could matter the longer they stay in the playoff picture. I could see them still moving a couple UFAs for picks then turning around and moving those picks for someone who helps… Read more »
Delly with Upchuck sounds intriguing!?
I’m thinking more likely is Will returns to the top line with Mack and Cherny, and Eck drops down to second line with Misa and Wennie.
Hmmm… We’ve got a big and scary IGOR to Mac’s genius. And this is only the beginning.
It has been amazing to watch this team because of the consistency in the lineup, the display of solid structure in their play and the cohesion of each line and pairing that has developed as the season has gone along. It’s clear we’re watching the development of a future hall of gamer but it’s possible we’re also seeing the early stages of a title contender with this group.
The things you stated also mean we may be watching the beginning of one of the NHLs next great coaches.
The 2024 draft is going to go down as Grier’s magnum opus.
Love the Sharks and love Mack but just curious if in any of these interviews guys are tired about being asked about him yet instead of themselves.
I think the way Mack handles it all makes it pretty easy for his teammates to get those questions. He always credits the rest of the team and doesn’t really let reporters make it about him. The team sees that.
You think Ryan Reaves is sick of answering questions about Mack?
Reaves is the best hype man in the league. Dudes played with a lot of the greatest players in the league.
Possibly. It’s a team game, and a team effort, so the fixation on one player probably derails the group mindset they are always trying to display. I think they’re all willing to put up with the spotlight on Mac in order to play with a GREAT player. I never got the impression teammates got tired I being asked about Crosby, Ovechkin, etc… I was looking at Eklund’s post game interview, and I was trying to gauge his response. He was talking about how the team did what they talked about doing, and played the way they know they can. The… Read more »
Hockey players as a rule prefer to pump up a teammate than brag or draw out praise for their own game.
I imagine maybe to a bit of an extent. I am insanely hyped to have Mack and love that we have a generational player. Everytime he’s on the ice I watch a little closer. But yah, it’s like every post game they are being asked about Macklin.
I feel like Will has been almost completely overshadowed. His improvement gets mentioned almost like an afterthought. Or how about the way Wennberg has stepped up to be a competent 2C? I dunno, Macklin deserves all the praise but def feel like some dudes could get more praise.
I don’t think many NHLers enjoy talking to reporters at all, so I doubt the subject matter moves the needle. That’s not me bagging on them, many of them don’t speak English as a first language, they’re all media trained to stick to a script and not get too real, and they’ve usually just played an exhausting game with a flight ahead of them. I bet most of them just want to phone it in quick and take a shower.
This 100%.