Macklin Celebrini was sent into the deep blue by a student.
A student recently asked the San Jose Sharks star forward about the origin of his team’s name, leaving him stumped.
“That is a great question. They’ve always been called the Sharks, and I don’t know why. That’s a great question. I probably should find that out,” Celebrini responded.
You can watch the interaction here.
Celebrini is asked by a student why the #SJSharks are called the Sharks. His answer was amazing pic.twitter.com/3Hwjyk82jE
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) March 5, 2026
It was a wholesome moment nonetheless. At least Celebrini did not give an answer he wasn’t sure about. The last thing he would want in that situation was to impart incorrect information to students at an institution of learning.
The history of the team’s name can be traced back to 1990, when San Jose was awarded an NHL franchise. According to San Jose’s official website, the team collected over 5,700 submissions during a national sweepstakes to find the perfect name.
Fifteen submissions stood out, namely the Blades, Breakers, Breeze, Condors, Fog, Gold, Golden Gaters, Golden Skaters, Grizzlies, Icebreakers, Knights, Redwoods, Sea Lions, Sharks and Waves.
But when it was all said and done, San Jose settled with the Sharks.
One of the entries that did not make the final cut was Screaming Squids, which would have made for a much more interesting conversation between Macklin and the students.
