Sidney Crosby, the veteran Penguins forward, praises the San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini for his strong contributions behind assists at the 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship in Switzerland. 

Crosby advances into the knockout stage with six assists in the preliminary round, which is his highest number of assists at an IIHF World Championship. During the post-game interview, Crosby gave the credit to Celebrini, who is Canada’s youngest player on the roster. He is a 19-year-old wearing number 71 for Team Canada. 

"It doesn't hurt playing with 71 for sure," Crosby said. "I'd like to bury a few. I've had some chances, so hopefully the goals go in. But as long as we're getting them and we're winning games, that's all that matters."

The comments came after Canada advanced through the preliminary round on Tuesday, May 26, with a 3-2 comeback win, defeating Czechia at BCF Arena in Fribourg.

The duo has been playing together on the same line throughout the tournament. When asked about their boost in assists, Crosby directly credited the young player.

Celebrini leads Canada with seven points through the preliminary round, placing him in a tie for eighth for the tournament’s scoring leader. The 19-year-old has recorded 20 shot attempts. While Crosby still has to score a goal, his playmaking has been central to Canada's attack.

Meanwhile, he receives the credit from Crosby, who is a two-time Olympic champion and 2015 World Championship gold medalist with Canada. He was injured during Canada's quarter-final against Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, which made him skip the semi-final and the final.

Canada Pushes Past Czechia 3-2

Canada secured a 3-2 victory over Czechia on Tuesday to advance from the preliminary stage of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. A strong performance from Crosby and Celebrini helped Canada recover, while goalie Jet Greaves recorded 17 saves.

Czechia pushed Canada to the brink throughout the opening period, blocking the Canadians to just four shots on goal. Marek Alscher gave Czechia a lead at 6:03. Canada's pace picked up midway through the second period when Dominik Kubalik made it 2-0.

Macklin Celebrini took six shots before scoring 2-1, then scored again in the third period to tie the game. John Tavares, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward, gave Canada a 3-2 lead. Czechia pulled its goaltender late but could not find the equalizer.

Crosby made two more assists that night, with Macklin Celebrini on both of Canada's comeback goals. 

Canada is now ready to face the quarter-finals on Thursday, May 28.

Share your thoughts on Sorsby, giving credit to Celebrini in the post-game message.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar