With the San Jose Sharks holding a 3-0 lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the second period Thursday night, rookie standout Macklin Celebrini found himself in the middle of a moment that had NHL fans - and even his own teammates - doing a double take.
Driving hard to the net, Celebrini was looking to finish off a cross-crease play when Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm reached in to lift his stick. Instead, Ekholm’s stick caught Celebrini up high, brushing near his shoulders - close, but not quite a direct shot to the face.
Celebrini’s head snapped back in what looked like a natural reaction, and the referee’s arm went up immediately. High-sticking.
Two minutes.
Ekholm wasn’t thrilled. He protested the call.
But the real surprise? So did Celebrini.
That’s right - the 19-year-old tried to tell the officials the penalty wasn’t deserved. There’s no mechanism in the NHL rulebook to decline a penalty, but Celebrini looked like he was trying to do just that. And while the Oilers would go on to erase the deficit and steal a 4-3 overtime win, it was Celebrini’s unexpected gesture that had people talking long after the final horn.
Now, let’s be clear - Celebrini wasn’t flopping or embellishing. This wasn’t a dive.
It was a reflex. When a stick comes up around your face, even if it doesn’t make full contact, your body reacts.
But what stood out was what happened after the whistle - the rookie’s instinct to be honest, to own the moment, and try to make it right.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton and host Tyler Yaremchuk broke it down.
“I’ve never seen a guy try to decline a penalty in the NHL,” Yaremchuk said. “Celebrini’s 19, I get what he’s trying to do, but if I’m a veteran on that San Jose team, I’m pulling him aside and saying, ‘Hey man, we’ll take the power play.’”
Hutton agreed, but gave the rookie credit for his integrity.
“You gotta take it when you can get it,” Hutton said. “But I respect the kid for owning it.
You don’t want to get that rap - guys who embellish, who dive. This was a unique one.
I think moving forward he’ll probably not try to sell it as much.”
Hutton pointed out that it’s a natural reaction - a stick gets near your eyes, your head jerks back. He even recalled playing alongside Dan Carcillo in Philadelphia and Chicago, a guy known for selling contact to draw penalties.
“Any cross-check from the belly button up, his head went back,” Hutton said with a laugh. “That was the draw - you get the refs.”
But Celebrini, even in a moment that could’ve helped the Sharks extend their lead, tried to play it straight. That says a lot about the kind of player - and person - he is. Still, Hutton made it clear: “If you can get a power play against the Edmonton Oilers in their building, somehow you’ve got to take it.”
It’s a rare thing to see in pro hockey - a player trying to give back a call. And while the Sharks didn’t come away with the win, Celebrini walked away with something else: the respect of fans, analysts, and maybe even a few opponents.
He’s learning the ropes fast. And this early lesson - balancing honesty with on-ice savvy - is one that’ll stick with him as his NHL journey unfolds.