{"id":384106,"date":"2026-01-01T03:33:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T03:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/384106\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T03:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T03:33:11","slug":"sharks-locker-room-overcoming-adversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/384106\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharks Locker Room: Overcoming Adversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hockey can be a humbling sport, even for Macklin Celebrini.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udde3\ufe0fZUUUUUUUUCY\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/0BrPzZX273<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

This would\u2019ve 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\u2019ers 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.<\/p>\n

“That\u2019s something I\u2019ve never had before.”<\/p>\n

Celebrini talks MVP chants, excitement over being named to Team Canada, #SJSharks<\/a> at 20 wins this season here \u2013> https:\/\/t.co\/GZWW6FMPvP<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cWWlhCZRN5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a smart, smart individual. He knows. That\u2019s something that Mack will continue to get better at,\u201d head coach Ryan Warsofsky admitted. \u201cWhen we don\u2019t have momentum, keep our game a little bit more simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

After his turnover, Celebrini fired five shot attempts at Jesper Wallstedt to end regulation and in OT. He also scored on the shootout.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s turnover by stoning Quinn Hughes on an OT breakaway, then shutting the Wild out in the shootout.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s mentally tough. Obviously doesn\u2019t love the second one, but the breakaway there on Hughes is a huge save. Gives us a little jolt there,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cAnd then in the shootout, he was locked in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesper Wallstedt on playing against Askarov:
\u201cIt’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\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 William Espy (@William_Espy) January 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The San Jose Sharks are now 20-17-3, matching last season\u2019s win total in just 40 games.<\/p>\n

Obviously, Celebrini\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Sharks now have the No. 1 wild card spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think many people had us in this spot right now,\u201d Warsofsky said.<\/p>\n

Foligno called Celebrini a future Hall of Famer https:\/\/t.co\/Ge4VKuzlzd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

John Klingberg<\/p>\n

Klingberg, on what the San Jose Sharks are doing right:\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think what we\u2019re 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\u2019s a lot of trust in knowing what the other guy is going to do on the ice. You don\u2019t 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\u2019s why we\u2019re limiting some opportunities defensively, but we\u2019re also getting longer offensive zone time as well. You need that to score goals.<\/p>\n

Klingberg, on recognizing Macklin Celebrini\u2019s talent:<\/p>\n

I think you saw it right away. What he\u2019s 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\u2019s easy to follow him, and [it\u2019s a] very well earned spot for him.<\/p>\n

Klingberg, on what he meant by Celebrini \u201cdriving the bus:<\/p>\n

He\u2019s involved in all the leadership meetings. He\u2019s a great teammate, taking care of the young guys, even if he\u2019s a young guy too. You guys see him on the ice, he\u2019s leading with a purpose on the ice, but even in the locker room. He\u2019s got a voice, he\u2019s talking. He\u2019s a lot of fun to be around, and very mature for his age.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Jeff Skinner<\/p>\n

Skinner, on his first impressions of Celebrini:<\/p>\n

Like everyone else saying, obviously he\u2019s one of the best players in the league. It\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s been fun to watch, I think for everyone, myself included in that.<\/p>\n

Skinner, on his line\u2019s performance:<\/p>\n

Obviously some games you feel better. I think the line played well. I thought Reggie played great. He wins a lot of battles. He\u2019s obviously a big guy and really tough for other teams to handle on the boards. Thought Delly was good too. I think he\u2019s always solid. When the lines feeling good, guys are reading off each other, that\u2019s 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\u2019s still some things we want to work on get better, but overall, pretty good.<\/p>\n

Skinner, on what the San Jose Sharks did right:<\/p>\n

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\u2019s just a good team game. Guys were reading off each other well, and that\u2019s what you need. When you play a good team, things are going to be tight. It\u2019s going to be back and forth. They\u2019re going to get chances. There\u2019s going to be breakdowns either way, and you just have to stick with it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

William Eklund<\/p>\n

Eklund, on what\u2019s making the difference for the San Jose Sharks:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Eklund, on Celebrini making the Canadian Olympic Team:<\/p>\n

You can say a lot of things about Mack, and he deserves that spot so much. I\u2019m just happy for him. He\u2019s such a good guy outside of hockey also, you got to think about that too. He\u2019s one of the hardest worker I\u2019ve ever seen, so he deserves all the credit he gets, and he\u2019s just gonna keep getting better.<\/p>\n

Eklund, on if the team\u2019s confidence has risen:<\/p>\n

Yeah, I think so. We know mistakes are going to happen in the game. We all try our best out there, [but] it\u2019s gonna happen. If we stick to what we can do in the next next play, we\u2019re going to be a hell of a team, and that\u2019s what we showed today.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ryan Warsofsky<\/p>\n

Warsofsky, on closing out 2025 with a win at home:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s nice for our fans to get rewarded. I think that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Warsofsky joked, on day that Sharks matched last year\u2019s entire win total in just 40 games, that he\u2019s still got all of his kids \ud83d\ude06<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Warsofsky, on Chernyshov\u2019s goal:<\/p>\n

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\u2019ve seen that he had a couple of chances [with a] similar move. He actually just keeps getting better, similar to Mack.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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