Celebrini of Sharks ready for 1st chance to play against Capitals' Ovechkin

SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini remembers being 5 or 6 years old when he met Alex Ovechkin after watching him play for the Washington Capitals.

The San Jose Sharks rookie center can’t recall, however, where the game was or if Ovechkin scored a goal or anything else about the day, but he has a photo with Ovechkin to commemorate the occasion. The 18-year-old will have a chance to make a more lasting memory when the Sharks host Ovechkin and the Capitals at SAP Center on Saturday (5 p.m. ET; MNMT, NBCSCA).

Ovechkin missed the first game between the Capitals and Sharks this season on Dec. 3 at Capital One Arena while recovering from a fractured left fibula, so it will be the first time Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, will play against Ovechkin, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.

“I'm super excited to play against him,” Celebrini said Friday. “To be able to play against him now is crazy.”

Adding to the excitement is that Ovechkin is chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals. With a total of 886 goals, including 33 this season, the 39-year-old left wing is nine away from passing Gretzky.

“That’s a lot of goals,” said Celebrini, who is second in the NHL among rookies with 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists) in 55 games this season. “He’s still one of the best players in the world.”

Ovechkin’s first and only game playing against Pittsburgh Penguins center Mario Lemieux, the No. 1 pick in the 1984 NHL Draft, came in Pittsburgh on Nov. 22, 2005 and was the first instance in League history of players who were selected No. 1 in the draft at least 20 years apart playing against each other, according to NHL Stats.

There have been eight other pairs of No. 1 picks to do it since then (multiple times in some cases): Steven Stamkos (2008) vs. Mike Modano (1988), John Tavares (2009) vs. Modano (1988), Taylor Hall (2010) vs. Modano (1988), Nico Hischier (2017) vs. Joe Thornton (1997), Rasmus Dahlin (2018) vs Thornton (1997), Jack Hughes (2019) vs. Thornton (1997), Connor Bedard (2023) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (2003) and Celebrini (2024) vs. Fleury (2003) .

To Ovechkin, playing against Lemieux, a 1997 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee who came out of retirement in 2000 and played five more seasons, was “a dream come true.”

“Obviously, the NHL is the one thing, but when you play against your idols and big names, it’s always memorable,” Ovechkin said.

Celebrini’s favorite player was Penguins center Sidney Crosby, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. But Celebrini also watched Ovechkin a lot, particularly when the Penguins and Capitals faced each other three consecutive seasons in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (2016, 2017, 2018).

“It was just awesome seeing those guys compete against each other because they faced each other so many times in the playoffs,” Celebrini said. “Just watching that hockey, I think was peak childhood for those playoffs.”

Celebrini already played against Crosby twice this season and said he, “just tried keep track of him,” during his opening shift in their first meeting on Nov. 16 in Pittsburgh. He marvels that Crosby and Ovechkin are still going strong in their 20th NHL seasons.

“It’s amazing,” Celebrini said. “You look at him and Sid and what they’re still doing, they’re still two of the best players in the world and how dominant they’ve been. ‘Ovi’ has like what, [33] goals now? That’s insane.”

Ovechkin hasn’t seen Celebrini play much, but has watched a few of his highlights and said, “He’s a talented guy. I wish him luck and we’ll see tomorrow.” When asked what advice he would give Celebrini, he said, “Just be yourself, work hard, be smart and everything’s going to be good.”

San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky believes watching a player such as Ovechkin continue to play at a high level deep into his career provides a good example for the Sharks' younger players such as Celebrini and forward Will Smith.

“They obviously watched them growing up,” Warsofsky said. “So, it’s good to see that you put the work in, and Ovi has, obviously, or he wouldn’t be playing still. So, it’s good for the young players to see a guy like that and Sidney Crosby and the (Nathan) MacKinnons and the guys that have kind of evolved, the Jack Eichels even. So, it’s good these guys go through these experiences.”

Smith, a 19-year-old who is fourth among rookies with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 59 games this season, also has been looking forward to getting a chance to play against Ovechkin and acknowledged, “I was definitely mad I missed him in Washington.”

Getting to face Ovechkin for the first time while he’s closing in on Gretzky’s record will add to the experience, though.

“He’s chasing history, so it’s pretty cool to kind of be able to witness it,” Smith said. “Hopefully, he doesn’t have nine versus us, but it’s pretty cool.”

It will also be a special moment for Sharks forward Patrick Giles. The 25-year-old grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland as a Capitals fan and remembers being outside Capital One Arena with thousands of other fans the night they won the Stanley Cup against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in 2018.

Giles, who was traded to the Sharks by the Florida Panthers on March 5, has skated with most of the Capitals players, including Ovechkin, during their informal practices before training camp each of the past three offseasons. This will be his first time playing against them, though.

Much of his family is flying out for the occasion.

“It’s going to be awesome just to be on the ice and competing against those guys,” Giles said. “Especially with everything [Ovechkin’s] doing right now going for the record, I’m just excited to get out there.”