{"id":924228,"date":"2026-10-07T16:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T16:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/924228\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T16:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T16:46:09","slug":"macklin-celebrini-is-the-nhls-next-big-breakout-star-whether-you-care-about-hockey-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/924228\/","title":{"rendered":"Macklin Celebrini Is the NHL\u2019s Next Big Breakout Star\u2014Whether You Care About Hockey or Not"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celebrini and Smith are kind of inseparable, but in staged instances\u2014interviews or social clips\u2014they can seem a little guarded or awkward. In a recent clip, they\u2019re seen promoting an \u201celevated cupcake experience<\/a>,\u201d which was a charitable meet-and-greet for which a fan paid $17,000. The most liked comment beneath this video, which was uploaded by the bakery behind the cupcakes, reads: \u201cthis looks like a hostage video they send to families for ransom.\u201d Another earlier post has them stiffly \u201cdoing a spin<\/a>\u201d in New York City for the social media personality Judi Jupiter, who then calls the two \u201cperfect specimens.\u201d (Of hockey players\u2019 famed physiques, Celebrini\u2014trying on jeans for the shoot at Tech CU Arena\u2014put it plainly: \u201cHockey butts\u2026they make everything smaller.\u201d) When I ask which of his and Smith\u2019s antics haven\u2019t yet made it online, he, almost defensively, says, \u201cWhat do you mean? What do you want?\u201d But then softens: \u201cWhen we\u2019re on the road, and we go to a sauna or steam room kind of place, you\u2019re supposed to be quiet. If we walk into a sauna, it\u2019s like, we start crying-laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NHL\u2019s chief marketing officer, Sean Eggert, says Celebrini \u201chas quickly become one of our most visible players on and off the ice.\u201d But even in this, he cites a clip of Celebrini and Smith that the league posted on TikTok in March of this year, referring to it as the \u201cbesties video<\/a>.\u201d In it, Celebrini is seen patiently calling Smith over during a game, with a slight and knowing smirk. Someone else\u2019s voice is laid on top (a common trend on TikTok) saying, \u201cPsst, hey, come here, cooooome here.\u201d When Smith appears in the frame, the voice says, \u201cYaaaay.\u201d \u201cThat was an inflection point,\u201d says Eggert. It has millions of views.<\/p>\n