Connor McDavid Didn’t Hold Back His Thoughts on Macklin Celebrini

For the third time since they made magic together as linemates for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini went head-to-head in NHL action on Wednesday night.

McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers got the better of Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks, thanks to a hat trick and five-point game from the world’s best player. It was an MVP-type performance from McDavid, to which even Celebrini acknowledged there was nothing they could do to stop him postgame.

On the flip side, McDavid was, of course, asked about Celebrini during his interview with the NHL on TNT crew after the win. In it, he didn’t shy away from praising the young superstar, noting that he much prefers having him on his left wing rather than facing him as an opponent.

McDavid said:

“Yeah, it’s always a great challenge to go against the league’s best, and he’s one of the very, very best in our league. He’s a special talent. Definitely prefer him on my left side than going against him. But, you know, fun matchup obviously… I admire how competitive he is. You know, 19 years old, 20 years old, whatever — he’s so dug in. Does a lot of really, really good little things that take years to learn in this league, and he seems to have figured it out right away. So, you know, I keep saying I can’t say enough good things about him. Yeah, he’s a great player,”

The 29-year-old McDavid now sits with 133 points (47 goals, 86 assists) in 79 games played this season, while Celebrini, 19, has a not-too-shabby 108 points (42 goals, 66 assists) through 77 games played.