Billy Heyen
To emphasize just how incredible Team Canada’s men’s hockey roster is, you just need to look at this picture that was circulating on social media on Sunday.
The picture shows Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini sitting next to one another on the bench.
Crosby was the No. 1 overall pick in 2005 and is an all-time legend.
McDavid was the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 and is the best player on the planet right now.
Celebrini was the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 and is a rising superstar and potentially the heir to McDavid’s throne.
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It’s just cool how generations of sports stars can come together in a setting like this:
One of the coolest photos ever.
1st overall pick in 2005
1st overall pick in 2015
1st overall pick in 2024
Mr & Mrs Celebrini couldn’t have waited just a few more months, eh? pic.twitter.com/cmED1CFxlp
Canada also features maybe the second-best player in the world right now, Nathan MacKinnon, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2013.
Certainly an embarrassment of riches for the Canadian team.
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But really, this picture isn’t just about that. It’s about the way that one era of sports can blend into another. Crosby passing the baton to McDavid to be passed to Celebrini, and they get this chance to overlap together.
It’s just really, really cool.
Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. His sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle