Michael Idarola

In addition to being the NHL’s next big star, Macklin Celebrini also possesses heartthrob looks; he appears, essentially, like he could have been cast in Heated Rivalry or Off Campus—the ultra-popular romance shows that have recently used the world of hockey as a backdrop for steamy love stories. As his profile has risen, he has become an unwitting target of intrigue, fascination, and parasocial projection among those series’ many (mostly female) viewers, who are eager to find examples of, or at least hopeful stand-ins for, their fictional fantasies in the real world. It’s an unexpected—or at least ancillary—form of attention, one that he’s still getting used to. “There’s been times where it’s a little much,” Celebrini admits when asked if fans have behaved out of bounds. He says he gets the occasional crazy DM. “But I think you’ve got to just always obviously be calm and kind of just handle whatever gets thrown at you.” gq.visitlink.me/ZV1p8v