Bay Area Split: Why Macklin Celebrini’s Olympic Run Has Warriors Rooting and Sharks Racing to Cash In

For Bay Area teams and fans the immediate effect is personal: macklin celebrini’s Olympic surge is landing first on the doorstep of two local franchises — the Golden State Warriors’ locker room and the San Jose Sharks’ front office. This matters now because the moment mixes hometown affection with measurable financial momentum and changes how both organizations are experiencing an international spotlight during a key season stretch.

How local locker rooms and markets are feeling the impact

Here’s the part that matters: Warriors players and coaches have been watching Celebrini’s games in real time during team activities. On a Friday morning film session, half the team watched the final two minutes of a tight Olympic match — the score was 2-2 and it was 10 o’clock — instead of starting film. The game was happening in Milan, about 6, 000 miles from the Chase Center, and the Gold State staff and roster were visibly engaged as Celebrini and Team Canada advanced to a gold-medal match against Team USA.

Across the locker room, the reaction blends familial pride and fandom. A veteran wing urged Bay Area viewers to wake up early for the 5 a. m. PST gold-medal puck drop in Italy and predicted viewers would see one of the sport’s greats. Warriors coach Steve Kerr and others have described a steady pride in Rick Celebrini — Macklin’s father and the team’s vice president of player health and performance — who has been with the organization since 2018 and flew to Milan to join family after staying extra days in Los Angeles during a recent road trip to be present for a teammate’s ACL surgery. Players who rehabs under Rick’s care, including Moses Moody, have longstanding personal ties to the family.

Macklin Celebrini in Milan: the Olympic details woven into Bay Area interest

Celebrini, the 19-year-old from Vancouver, is on the Team Canada roster for the Olympics and will face the United States in the gold-medal match. He skated as the youngest NHL player in the tournament and the youngest-ever on a Team Canada roster. Through five Olympic appearances he has totaled 10 points; in a dramatic come-from-behind semifinal he logged nearly 26 minutes of ice time, fired eight shots on goal, and assisted on a game-winning play. Those performances are the proximate reasons Bay Area attention is so intense.

Family ties and origin story that link a hockey prodigy to a basketball franchise

Macklin grew up around the Warriors: coach Kerr remembers full-court pickup games at the team’s old Oakland facility with mother Robyn, older brother Aiden and younger sister Charlie. Rick Celebrini’s role with the Warriors creates an extended-family feeling inside Golden State; teammates note Macklin’s quiet confidence and precision in conversation, and they point to younger brother RJ — described as an up-and-coming teenage hockey player with composure — as evidence the family carries itself the same way.

Those personal connections explain why many in the Warriors organization tracked the Olympic game closely and cheered on Celebrini stateside while his family watched in Milan.

Business metrics, on-ice numbers and the Sharks’ recalibrated opportunity

For the Sharks organization the effect is both cultural and financial. Celebrini was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and, after a season away at Boston University as a 17-year-old, he produced an 81-point campaign this season (28 goals, 53 assists in 55 games). That total ranks fourth in the league and overlaps with a team record showing: the Sharks sit at 27-24-4 and are seeing renewed engagement.

Since landing in Milan two weeks ago, Celebrini’s profile has surged: his social following rose by roughly 40%, and he became the most-visited player profile on the league’s website during the Olympic break. The franchise’s recent strategy to grow beyond the Bay Area is getting a test run — marketing leaders say his visibility is already translating to revenue. In his rookie season the Sharks finished at the bottom of the Western Conference but still set a franchise single-game ticket sales record; this season the team is on track to surpass that mark by nearly $3 million as Celebrini’s breakout drives interest.

What’s easy to miss is how the patriotism-versus-regional-pride tension plays into ticketing and branding: some Bay Area fans are rooting for Team Canada specifically because Celebrini is on the ice, while others balance national allegiance with local enthusiasm.

Quick timeline and what might confirm the next turn

• As a 17-year-old, Celebrini spent one season at Boston University before turning pro.
• He was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.
• He landed in Milan roughly two weeks before the Olympic gold-medal match and helped Canada reach the final.

If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up: the real test will be how sustained attention from global audiences converts into longer-term fan growth and whether the Sharks’ short-term revenue gains persist once the Olympics end.

Here’s a short checklist of stakeholders most affected: Warriors players and staff who have personal ties to the Celebrini family; Sharks front-office and marketing teams tracking ticket and merchandise revenue; Bay Area fans negotiating national versus regional loyalties; and the Celebrini family, balancing public moments with private support in Milan.

Final note: recent coverage shows a rare crossover moment where an NHL phenom is simultaneously a hometown story for two distinct professional sports ecosystems — one offering locker-room affection, the other commercial upside — and both are watching closely as the 5 a. m. PST gold-medal decision approaches.