It was a special meeting for a special player.
Pat Brisson, Macklin Celebrini’s agent, asked for an early to mid-June meeting with San Jose Sharks owner Hasso Plattner and GM Mike Grier, to discuss his “unicorn” client’s upcoming extension. Celebrini was not present at this meeting.
“[This meeting] meant a lot to us, it was part of the negotiations, making sure we do things right,” Brisson told San Jose Hockey Now in an exclusive interview on Thursday, on the heels of Celebrini signing a record-setting five-year, $94 million extension.
That $18.8 million AAV is the highest in NHL history.
It’s new territory for the league, but not for the super-agent and CAA, who represents Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Patrick Kane, and more, a literal who’s who of hockey over the last three decades.
Brisson shares why the $18.8 million AAV could’ve justifiably been higher, and why Celebrini didn’t want that. The superstar center also wanted to give the San Jose Sharks more term than he had to.
Brisson took us behind the scenes of the June meeting, his respect for Plattner, when he first met Celebrini, and the circumstances behind Crosby’s famous $8.7 million AAV.
Sheng Peng: Can you tell us about meeting Plattner and Grier before July 1?
Pat Brisson: I made a special request with a special player like this. I call him a unicorn player. To really go in and meet with ownership and understanding what we’re getting into.