Celebrini, Dickinson see World Championship experience end in heartbreak

Macklin Celebrini, Sam Dickinson, and the rest of Team Canada are coming home from the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland empty-handed.

The Canadians, including San Jose Sharks players Celebrini and Dickinson, lost 3-2 to Norway in the bronze medal game in Zurich on Sunday, as Noah Steen scored the winner 3:32 into overtime to give his country its first ice hockey world championship medal. Norway’s previous best result was a fourth-place finish in 1951.

In a wild ending, Canada was 2-0 down when it pulled netminder Jet Greaves of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the extra attacker. Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues then scored from the slot to cut Norway’s lead to one with 1:16 remaining in the final period with an unassisted goal.

With eight seconds to go, Celebrini and Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly set up Thomas for his second to tie it at 2-2, forcing overtime.

Earlier, Emilio Pettersen gave Norway a 1-0 lead in the opening period, and Stian Solberg added another with a deflected shot in the second. Goaltender Henrik Haukeland stopped 44 shots.

Celebrini, Canada’s captain and top line center, was the tournament’s second-leading scorer with 14 points in 10 games.

In Sunday’s loss, he had seven shots on net — including five in the third period — and led all skaters with 24:35 in ice time. Dickinson, who just finished his rookie season as a Sharks defenseman, had 13:31 in ice time and did not have a point in the tournament.

Celebrini and the Canadians were hoping to avenge their 2025 World Championship quarterfinal loss to co-host Denmark. But Canada, after winning all seven of its preliminary-round games and a quarterfinal against the United States, lost 4-2 to Finland in Saturday’s semifinals.

Greaves made 21 saves in Sunday’s loss, which left Canada without a medal in the event for a third straight year.

“(Norway) played a great game, and they came out hard just like we thought they were going to,” Celebrini said. “When you look back on the tournament, I feel like we had a little more to give, and it is unfortunate the way that it ended.

“We were never going to give up, and we were going to try to find a way to get a goal as the game went on. I have to give credit to our group for the way we battled late in the game, but it is tough that we could not get the result we wanted.”

It’s been a long season for Celebrini, who turns 20 on June 13. He played all 82 regular-season games for the Sharks, setting a new franchise record and ranking fourth in the NHL with 115 points. He also had 10 points in six games at the Olympics, as Canada lost the gold medal game to the United States in February.

Celebrini just finished the second year of his three-year entry-level contract and is eligible for a contract extension on July 1. The new deal, whenever it is signed, will undoubtedly make Celebrini one of the NHL’s highest-paid players.

DENNIS HULL DIES

Dennis Hull, the two-way NHL forward who starred alongside superstar older brother Bobby Hull with the Chicago Blackhawks before he briefly became a Sharks broadcaster, died Friday night, according to brother Garry. He was 81.

Nephew Bart Hull confirmed Hull’s death on social media Saturday, and the Blackhawks followed that with a statement from owner Danny Wirtz. No other details were available.

Hull played 13 of 14 seasons in the league with Chicago before one final year with the Detroit Red Wings. He appeared in five All-Star Games and was voted a second-team NHL All-Star in 1972-73.

“Dennis enjoyed a distinguished career built on his scoring ability and consistency, leaving lasting contributions not only to the Blackhawks franchise but to the game itself,” Wirtz said. “Known around the league for his immense skill, toughness, and intelligence, Dennis was as dominant on the ice as he was beloved off it. He often drew on his sharp wit and sense of humor to keep the locker room loose, while his warmth and humility made everyone he met feel welcome.”

Hull served as a color analyst on Sharks television and radio for the team’s inaugural 1991-92 season, including calling the Sharks’ first-ever game with longtime play-by-play Dan Rusanowsky on Oct. 4, 1991.