Macklin Celebrini nearly got hit in the face by a stick on Thursday night, and he pulled his head back as a reflex reaction.
The referees saw that and called a penalty against the Edmonton Oilers. The San Jose Sharks were set for a powerplay. Except, there was a weird protest happening.
Celebrini, the 19-year old phenom for the Sharks, was pushing back against the call.
He knew he hadn't actually been hit with the high stick. Talk about polite.
Macklin Celebrini is an ethical superstar pic.twitter.com/KnW0VRpba0
— trev (@BayAreaTrev) January 30, 2026MORE: Maple Leafs get an Auston Matthews update on his future plans
The Sharks didn't end up scoring on the powerplay, which came when they were already ahead 3-0.
A goal would've helped, because the Oilers eventually put together a wild comeback to win the game 4-3 in overtime.
Celebrini deserved better hockey karma. He tried to get a call that helped his team waved off (which isn't really a thing) because he knew it wasn't fair to his opponent.
The 19-year old kid doesn't just score a lot of points. He also has grace.
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It's a cool moment that will likely gain Celebrini some additional respect from the hockey world.
Soon, he'll be at the Olympics. Team Canada probably will just hope he lets all the penalty calls there stand as they pursue a gold medal.
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