Rick Celebrini rode ‘emotional roller coaster’ at Winter Olympics watching son

SAN FRANCISCO — Nervous. Stressed. Anxious. Proud as a father can be.

Welcome to Rick Celebrini’s “emotional roller coaster” watching his son, Macklin, emerge as one of Team Canada’s brightest stars the past two weeks in Milan.

The Warriors were so plugged in to Macklin Celebrini’s run in the Winter Olympics that, at one point, they paused a team film session to watch the final minutes of Canada’s thrilling semifinal win over Finland that sent it into the gold-medal game against the United States.

The connective tissue between the two teams was back in the building Friday.

Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ vice president of player health and performance and Macklin’s proud papa, admitted he “felt a little guilty playing hooky” in Italy. Worth it.

“I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life,” Celebrini said, agreeing to a rare media availability to discuss his experience on the condition that questions about Steph Curry’s ailing knee were off limits. (The Warriors will provide an update on Curry on Sunday.)

Celebrini said he could “feel the love and support” from the Warriors from 6,000 miles away.

“It’s great to have him back,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He shared a lot of stories, and it was a lot of fun hearing about the Olympic experience. He’s such a big part of what we do, who we are; it’s great having him back in the building.”

Young Macklin, now 19, grew up in the Warriors’ training room with his dad, who joined the organization in 2018 from Vancouver, B.C., where he worked with the MLS’ Whitecaps and NHL’s Canucks. That meant exposure to stars such as Curry at an early age.

“I do think there’s value in that,” Rick Celebrini said. “Because I think what it does is it just demystifies it. It makes it more human and not so superhuman. I kept trying to remind him: At the end of the day, it’s still just hockey.”

Even as the youngest NHL player in the Olympics and the youngest ever for Team Canada, Celebrini fit right in with Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.

It was evident that he was unfazed by the global stage.

If anything, he used the platform to become one of the Games’ biggest stars.

Rick Celebrini said it was impossible to ignore the rise in Macklin’s profile in just the past few weeks. Having worked at three Olympics, Celebrini said the Olympic Village was usually an information bubble from the outside world. Not anymore. 

“Ultimately, the pride to see him on the global stage, not shy away from the moment,” Celebrini said. “As a parent, you’re nervous, you’re anxious. But also just extremely proud to see him step up and contribute in a meaningful way.”

When it came time for the gold-medal game against Team USA, the loyalties in the Warriors’ locker room were a little more divided.

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Gui Santos, from Brazil, joked that the Americans on the roster might enjoy some good-natured ribbing over the Red, White and Blue’s 2-1 overtime win.

“I think some people (in the locker room) were Team Macklin, and some were Team USA and happy for Macklin but wanted the U.S. to win, ultimately,” Celebrini said. “That whole part of it is fun.”

Macklin Celebrini wasn’t on the ice for the 3-on-3 extra period but described the “bitter” and “sour” feeling of falling short as one that would stick with him “forever.” His father relayed similar emotions from immediately after the game.

“Macklin handled it the way I expected him (to), which was he was inconsolable after the game,” Rick said. “He was upset. He was upset at himself. He was upset at the result. But I think that, like it is for a lot of athletes, it’s fuel. I really do think it’s a motivator for him.”

Like any good citizen north of the border, he was as concerned with the good of the game.

“Honestly, once we get the emotion of it, the fact that the Americans won is likely good for the game,” Celebrini said. “It really does add to the rivalry. It adds to the profile of the sport in this country. And as Canadians, that’s all we have. We have maple syrup and hockey.”

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