Sharks, Celebrini give 5-year-old cancer survivor an unforgettable weekend
SAN JOSE – The day started with Macklin Celebrini simply passing the puck to one of his biggest fans, Luke Schumann, as they skated along the ice together at the San Jose Sharks’ practice facility.
It ended with celebrations, literally, as the Sharks’ rookie sensation showed Schumann, a 5-year-old cancer survivor, how to ride his stick along the ice. Then, after he went bar down with a shot from in close that beat one of San Jose’s goalies, Luke skated away, dropped to one knee, and slid along the ice.
“We were building some chemistry out there,” Celebrini said Friday of Schumann, whose family lives in Lakeville, Minnesota. “So hopefully when he gets older, we can play together here.”
A few days after his fifth birthday, Luke was diagnosed with a rare form of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin). His parents, John and Lindsey, discovered a lump under his armpit on May 14, 2024, a day before he turned 5 years old, and Luke soon had to undergo surgery to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy treatments throughout the summer.
“That’s the phone call nobody wants to get, let alone with one of your kids,” said John Schumann, who credited Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis for their care and treatment. “When we first got that phone call, you’re in shock. But they put an awesome plan together, and it was kind of the best of the worst news, if you may, because they had had a few kids (with) this form of cancer, so they had a good formula in place.”
Luke completed his chemotherapy in September and has since been declared cancer-free, with follow-up CT scans and blood work to ensure the disease has not returned.
“We’re just so blessed that he’s cancer-free,” John said.
As Luke underwent chemotherapy, his doctor told his parents that the Make-A-Wish foundation could give their son an unforgettable experience. Luke had been a Sharks fan shortly after he began playing hockey when his parents bought him socks with the team’s logo. He then started following Celebrini last year.
One of John Schumann’s co-workers is Ryan Duncan, who won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player in 2007 as a sophomore at North Dakota. At last year’s Hobey Baker Award presentation in St. Paul, Minn., where Celebrini became the youngest-ever winner of the award, Duncan received a signed puck from the soon-to-be No. 1 overall draft selection and gave it to Luke.
“That’s kind of when it started for Luke,” John Schumann said. “Here’s a Macklin Celebrini kid, he’s a young guy, so that’s kind of where it started.”
Luke’s siblings are also part of this experience. His sister, Ellie, 10, and brother, Ryan, 8, skated with the Sharks on Friday while touring the facility and hanging out with the players and coaches.
Saturday, before the Sharks played the Seattle Kraken, the Schumann family’s itinerary included being picked up at their downtown hotel by Celebrini and driven to the game, taking a tour of SAP Center, and reading the Sharks’ starting lineup to the players in their dressing room.
Luke will also stand behind the Sharks’ bench for the National Anthem, high-five the players before they take the ice, and ride the Zamboni during the first intermission.
“First class by the Sharks,” John Schumann said. “To allow our whole family, because the kids were greatly affected by it too this past summer, and what he went through. So just super cool.”
Celebrini and the Sharks might have had as much fun on Friday as the family did as on the ice, there have not been many feel-good moments for the team this season. That changed this weekend.
“I think you saw all of the guys smiling, having a good time,” Celebrini said. “It does bring a little joy and perspective to our group.”
“Cancer is a tough thing to go through for anyone, no matter how old you are,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Hits home for me. I have a five-year-old. Luke is 5 years old, and that turns your life upside down. He’s a tough kid, and it puts life in perspective for me and our players. He helped us today. As much as we helped him, he helped us.”
It also highlights how visible Celebrini, still two months shy of his 19th birthday, has become, even in the nascent stages of his career. Luke started watching Celebrini last year when Boston University competed in the Frozen Four.
“He understands what comes with being the No. 1 overall pick, being kind of the face of this franchise at such a young age is absolutely remarkable,” Warsofsky said. “For being 18, he knows how it affects (Luke). Give a lot of credit to Mack for doing that and being the person he is.”
It was no problem at all for Celebrini, as he and Luke have developed some chemistry.
“I can tell he loves hockey and is obviously a big Sharks fan,” Celebrini said of Luke. “It’s awesome he kind of knows who I am, and we were able to do this.”