World Championship is a passing of the torch from Crosby to Celebrini

May 18, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: May 18, 2026, 11:14 EDT

World Championship is a passing of the torch from Crosby to Celebrini

A year ago, Macklin Celebrini used the IIHF World Championship as a chance to learn from some of the best.

Imagine being 18, fresh off your NHL rookie season on a San Jose Sharks team that was more focused on the long-term future than being competitive. Despite it, you had a good start, and many saw a bright future. And then, suddenly, you’re playing for your country alongside two of the all-time greats in Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon.

Canada ultimately fell flat against Denmark, of all teams. But you could see a special connection brewing between Celebrini and Crosby. They are two of the smartest forwards in the NHL, and they continuously found each other through traffic to create quality scoring chances.

Now, Celebrini is one of the best players in the world. He’s only 19 – and was still eligible for the World Juniors this past winter. But he’s a finalist for the Ted Lindsay award as the NHL’s top player, as voted by the players themselves.

The Sharks didn’t make the postseason, but with 45 goals and 115 points in 82 games, Celebrini has one of the best sophomore campaigns in the salary cap era. Nobody would have blamed him if he elected to stay home and not spend the next two weeks in Switzerland. But Celebrini wants to win – something he came so close to doing as an integral member of Canada’s Olympic team a few months later.

Crosby, meanwhile, is back for revenge. Known for his big performances on the world stage, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain clearly wanted to make up for difficult results at both the 2025 World’s and the 2026 Olympics. And, realistically, this is a Canadian team capable of going the distance – on paper, at least. Hockey isn’t played on paper, though. Canada is 2-0 so far, with Celebrini leading the way with three points. Crosby, meanwhile, has just one, but has looked good defensively.

Celebrini is currently donning the captain’s “C” in Switzerland, even with Crosby in the fold. Crosby was added to the roster after the captain announcement, but the decision was made to keep Celebrini as the team’s leader – despite him being one of the youngest players in the tournament, and without any actual captain experience in the NHL.

But that shows you how much this group values Celebrini. He’s the future of Canada’s Canadian national team program – he’s set to lead the team at major international events over the next two decades. MacKinnon and Connor McDavid aren’t going anywhere, obviously. But Celebrini is already a certified NHL superstar and will play a critical role in consistently bringing gold back to Canada. In the end, the captaincy doesn’t really matter when you’ve got a team filled with NHLers. But to think Celebrini was given the C to begin with – and it wasn’t taken away when Crosby joined – really says a lot about his character and the respect his teammates have for him. Crosby “was adamant” that Celebrini keep the C.

Crosby is considered by most to be one of the smartest players the NHL has ever seen. His hockey IQ is off the charts, allowing him to make some of the most effective plays you’ll find. His value away from the puck is partly what makes him so dangerous. Crosby creates lanes for everyone else by just simply being himself. He’s quick, attacks in his own zone and forces you to make low percentage plays more often than not.

And if you’ve watched Celebrini over the past two years, that scouting report feels eerily similar. Celebrini is lauded for his incredible hockey sense and his ability to beat players with high-end moves based on his play reads. He doesn’t need to just beat guys with pure skill. There’s a reason why scouts likened Celebrini to Crosby in his draft year – they’re just so similar.

And Crosby knows that. He requested to play with Celebrini at the 2025 World Championship because he felt Celebrini was one of the few players who could anticipate the no-look passes that make him so dangerous. They both excel in small-area games too, and play with a ton of speed.

Crosby can’t play forever. He’s still a high-end threat and should be in the conversation to make Canada’s roster for both the 2028 World Cup and 2030 Olympics. But he’s making up for lost time, given the NHL backed out of best-on-best competition for nearly a decade. When people think Canadian hockey royalty, Crosby is about as good as it gets.

But Celebrini is starting to creep up there. He’s already one of the NHL’s best players despite being a teenager. He’s only going to get better as the Sharks continue to surround him with quality talent. If everything goes Celebrini’s way, we won’t see him at many more World Championships. Instead, fans will need to wait for the big events to see what he’s capable of – but he has already proven he can be a difference-maker while playing against elite talent.

Many Canadians might choose to ignore the World Championship because it isn’t best-on-best. But with two of the game’s elite talents on one line, it’s absolutely must-watch hockey. We’re still waiting to see the trio really explode against quality competition at this tournament, but Canada is still building some chemistry.

The last thing any team needs to do is let these two megastars cook. Because as soon as they start flying, they’ll roast you.

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