Canada beat the USA 4-0 in the 2026 IIHF Worlds quarter-final on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the BCF Arena in Fribourg, Switzerland. But what stole the show was the moment between young Canadian captain Macklin Celebrini and center Sidney Crosby.

When Crosby scored his first Worlds goal, Celebrini couldn’t stop smiling for him. Fans were impressed by the camaraderie shared by the Canadian national team. An X video shows the moment that quickly went viral.

It was an empty-netter from Crosby at 18:41 in the third period to secure a 4-0 lead for Team Canada. This put the Worlds quarter-final firmly beyond the Americans.

Notably, during this contest, the Canadians dominated in the first period, registering seven shots to the USA’s none. But despite that, American goaltender David Cooley kept them at bay with some smart saves.

After Evan Bouchard got hit hard on his head by Ryan Lindgren and didn’t return to action, Canada kept increasing the pressure on their opponents. Towards the end of the first period, at 18:31, Celebrini gave his team the 1-0 advantage.

The second period began similarly, and the Canadians took less time to score.

Dylan Holloway's first shot was stopped by Ryan Ufko in front, but he found the net on the rebound at 9:48. This gave his team a 2-0 lead.

From this point onwards, the USA players upped the ante. They attempted to make a comeback, but Canadian goaltender Jet Greaves had other ideas. He ended up making 34 saves in total in the quarter-final, most of them in the third period.

When the Americans pulled Cooley from the goal with around three minutes remaining, Connor Brown scored an empty-netter with 18:01 on the clock. This occurred moments before Crosby's goal and subsequent celebration.

Hockey Fans React to Macklin Celebrini-Sidney Crosby Celebration at Worlds

Hockey fans united in the comments section of the Macklin Celebrini-Sidney Crosby Worlds’ goal celebration.

“What a moment pls how am i supposed to move on,” said a fan. They wanted time to stand still for their love towards Celebrini and Crosby.

One fan wrote a catchy nickname for them while proclaiming them as their own for life. “Thats my duo!!! SID-EBRINI forever!” they wrote.

An emotional supporter alluded to their affection for each other from recent times.

“this after seeing sid say he went to worlds so he could play on a line with mack 😭😭😭 FAMILYYYYYYYYY,” .

A couple of hockey enthusiasts were so into the idea of Celebrini and Crosby playing together that they literally rue the thought of seeing them compete against each other in the NHL.

“how am i supposed to watch hockey once sid and mack are not on the same line anymore :(,” said one of them.

“Can they be on the same team forever pls x,” prayed another hockey enthusiast.

Will the hockey fans get to see more of Macklin Celebrini and Sidney Crosby play together? Give us your prediction in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Surjo Ray