A happy start had a sad ending for San Jose as the Sharks lost 5-4 in overtime
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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Macklin Celebrini quickly made an impact on the San Jose Sharks.
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The 18-year-old rookie scored San Jose's first goal of the season and had an assist in his first period as a pro on Thursday night against St. Louis Blues, which means a better future for the team that has been in a difficult situation for a long time. last five years.
“It was amazing,” Celebrini said. “It's everything I thought it would be in my first game. It was an amazing experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life.”
A happy start had a sad ending for San Jose as the Sharks jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third quarter and lost 5-4 in overtime.
Celebrini's first career goal came on his third career change and he was happy. The former Boston University star rushed onto the court and made a spin near the boards before making a center pass to William Eklund that hit defenseman Matt Kessel's skate and passed Joel Hofer at the 7:01 mark.
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“I just tried to fake it and then throw one to the middle and see if he could stick it in,” Celebrini said. “It's just a lucky bounce off the d-man's skate.”
Celebrini didn't even realize he had scored until his teammate Eklund told him during the celebratory scrum.
The goal sparked a loud ovation and chants of “Celebrini! Celebrini!” from fans who have been hungry for success but are energized by a youth movement led by Celebrini, the first overall pick in this year's draft, and Will Smith, who will enter the first round in 2023.
Celebrini didn't finish, but he did pick up an assist on a pass from behind the net to Tyler Toffoli later in the first half.
“He did the same thing the first preseason game we played together,” Toffoli said. “He's amazing, he's an amazing talent, he works incredibly hard. Ultimately, he wants to win games too and will do whatever it takes.
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According to Sportradar, Celebrini became the youngest player in NHL history to score two points in the first period of his debut at the age of 18 years and 119 days. Shane Doan reached the age of 18 years and 362 days when he scored two points for Winnipeg against Dallas in 1995.
He also scored the second-fastest first goal in history to claim first place, surpassed only by Mario Lemieux, who clocked 2:59 in his debut against Boston on October 11, 1984.
“It was nice to score the first goals of my career for both teams, but we lost, so it sucks,” Celebrini said of the goal and assist.
The debut of Celebrini and 19-year-old Smith marks the first time in nearly 26 years that the Sharks have had two teenagers on their roster, and the first time that any team has had two players drafted in the top four of the draft. since then, the same play by Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner did it for Toronto in 2016.
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The two received loud ovations as they took to the ice for warmups in front of a crowd of 17,435 fans, including Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green. Celebrini's father, Rick, is the Warriors' director of sports medicine.
The Sharks have been one of the most successful teams in the NHL over 15 seasons, making 14 playoff appearances, five trips to the Western Conference Finals and an appearance in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.
Since reaching the conference finals in 2016, the Sharks have missed the playoffs for five straight seasons and finished the 2023-2024 season with 19 wins, during which time they posted their worst goal differential in a season in 30 years.
The reward for that performance was San Jose winning the draft lottery and the right to draft Celebrini, who scored 64 points in 38 games last season as a freshman at Boston University, winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player.
Celebrini was selected a year after San Jose drafted Smith fourth overall, and he also joined the NHL after playing at Boston College last season.
While the team may still be a few years away from competing on the ice, the addition of Celebrini and Smith gave hope to fans who desperately needed it after seeing stars from the previous generation such as Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, In recent years Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson moved on.
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