Connect with us

Utah

Juuso Välimäki talks equipment before 4 Nations Face-Off

Published

on

Juuso Välimäki talks equipment before 4 Nations Face-Off


Sidney Crosby’s infamous jockstrap made its first trip to Utah when the Pittsburgh Penguins were in town in January. It’s been (literally) tied to Crosby at the hip for more than 20 years and has seen approximately 1,700 games at various levels — not to mention countless practices, training camps, preseason games and off-season ice sessions.

It’s not that he can’t get a new one — the Penguins’ equipment managers, who are tasked with performing regular surgeries on the dying waistband, would be overjoyed if he did — it’s just that it’s comfortable for him. And if Sidney Crosby thinks it helps him play better, who can argue?

Utah Hockey Club defenseman Juuso Välimäki, who is representing his home country of Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off this week, also tends to hold onto his gear far longer than his equipment managers would like.

“I hate new stuff — everything,” he said. “I need a little bit of time to break the stuff in.”

Advertisement

That was after a recent Utah HC practice, where he sported Finland-blue gloves and pants, which he’ll wear throughout the tournament.

“I know we’ll a have a couple of days (of practice) over there, but it might not be enough for me,” he told reporters.

Välimäki was also breaking in a new pair of skates that day. He’d used his old ones since the start of the summer, which is much longer than the average NHL player holds onto a pair.

The steel blades are replaced much more frequently than the boots themselves, but problems arise when the stitching that secures the toe cap in place starts to relent, allowing wind to hit the player’s foot as he skates — something that Välimäki experienced last season.

“I’ll usually play the year with one pair of skates, which is kind of crazy,” he said. “I remember (UHC head equipment manager Stan Wilson) last year had to throw my skates out after the season. He’s like, ‘you’re done.‘”

Advertisement

“I know for a long time that I should change (my skates), but I just can’t wrap my head around it because they feel different and I just get in my head,” he said.

The process of breaking in equipment is different for everyone. Olli Määttä, for example, who is teammates with Välimäki both in Utah and on the Finnish national team, barely has to break it in at all.

“I think I need a day or two,” he said. “That’ll be fine. I’m sure we’re all a little different. It usually doesn’t take me much.”

Another Utah HC defenseman, Nick DeSimone, is the exact opposite of Välimäki.

“I don’t really mind new gear,” he said. “I love new skates. I’d probably wear new skates every two, three weeks if I could.”

Advertisement

Utah center Barrett Hayton is on Välimäki’s side. He estimates that most of his body equipment (shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin pads and pants) is about five years old, meaning he may have used some of it his entire NHL career to date.

Hayton is also particular about his sticks.

“I can kind of feel when it’s a little long (or a) little short,” he said.

As a kid, he had a stick with a P28 curve, which is common to find at retail sporting goods stores. He’s stuck with it all the way to the NHL.

Josh Doan has also stuck with the same stick most of his life, but it’s not because he stumbled upon it at a store one day — it’s because it’s the same one his dad, Arizona Coyotes legend Shane Doan, used.

Advertisement

Warrior, the company that supplied Shane Doan’s sticks during the latter part of his career, would send Josh mini versions of his dad’s sticks: same make, model, curve and lie. The only differences were the size and the flex.

Josh had to diverge in junior, college and the AHL because his teams had brand deals with other manufacturers, but now that he’s playing in the NHL, he’s switched back to that same Warrior stick.

Now, to answer the inevitable question: If Shane Doan were to suddenly return to the NHL after an eight-year hiatus, could he just use his son’s sticks?

“He’d have to flex up a bit — he likes a stiffer stick,” Josh said. “But ya, he could come out and use mine and perform pretty easily.”



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Utah

Curry helps Golden State bury Utah 140-124 behind a flurry of 3-pointers

Published

on

Curry helps Golden State bury Utah 140-124 behind a flurry of 3-pointers


By John Coon, The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Stephen Curry scored 27 points, Moses Moody had 26 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 140-124 on Wednesday night.

Gui Santos had 16 points off the bench for the Warriors. Golden State made 23 3-pointers and never trailed over the final three quarters. Moody led the way with five 3s.

The 140 points scored by the Warriors was their season high.

Advertisement

Brice Sensabaugh scored 22 points off the bench for Utah. Keyonte George had 19 points and seven assists. Ace Bailey also scored 19 points for the Jazz and Lauri Markkanen had 18.

Utah trimmed a 22-point deficit to single digits entering the fourth quarter. The Jazz drew to 108-100 on a pair of free throws from Isaiah Collier with 9:52 left. Curry made back-to-back baskets to restore a double-digit lead.

Golden State used a 20-2 run to go up 136-109 with 3:29 left.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, has the ball knocked away by Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski, right, as he was driving to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate) 

Golden State made it rain from the perimeter early, going 15 of 31 from long distance before halftime. Eight different players made an outside basket for the Warriors in the first half. Buddy Hield and Moody accounted for three apiece before halftime.

Hield buried back-to-back 3s a minute into the second quarter to cap a 19-8 run that gave Golden State a 40-24 lead. The Warriors built a 16-point lead three other times in the second quarter — the final time when Quinten Post made a 3-pointer to make it 64-48.

Advertisement

Golden State expanded its lead to 22 points in the third quarter, going up 91-69 on a pair of free throws from Curry.

 

Up Next

Warriors: Host Detroit on Saturday night.



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Inmates create first‑of‑its‑kind documentary inside Utah State prison – KSLTV.com

Published

on

Inmates create first‑of‑its‑kind documentary inside Utah State prison – KSLTV.com


SALT LAKE CITY — A groundbreaking documentary — conceived, filmed, and produced entirely by inmates at the Utah State Prison—is giving the public an unprecedented look at life behind bars.

The film, Breaking Chains, follows six incarcerated men and women as they confront their pasts, reflect on their choices, and work toward rebuilding their lives.

The Utah Department of Corrections collaborated with the One Kind Act a Day initiative to secure funding and equipment for the inmates. The result is a raw, emotional film that highlights a little‑known educational program operating inside the prison.

The documentary opens with a stark confession from participant Casey Vanderhoef.

Advertisement

“When I was incarcerated in 2021, I had no more answers,” Vanderhoef says in the film. “I knew I was broken in a way I couldn’t fix.”

Vanderhoef, now living in a halfway house as he completes his sentence, says revisiting his past on camera wasn’t easy.

“There are certainly regretful decisions—and sometimes embarrassing ones—that are definitely part of my story,” he explains.

The project was coordinated from outside the prison by filmmaker and educator Bo Landin, who says the decision to have inmates interview one another created a level of honesty he didn’t expect.

“It’s authentic. It’s raw. It’s emotional,” Landin says. He admits he became emotional himself while transcribing the conversations. “I think it’s important because it is their voice. They are telling us a story.”

Advertisement

The program began with roughly 18 to 20 students learning the fundamentals of filmmaking, storytelling, and production.

The One Kind Act a Day initiative—created by philanthropist Khosrow Semnani—donated the professional equipment used to make the documentary. The Semnani Family Foundation will now support an ongoing media program integrated into the prison’s career‑training and productive‑time initiatives. Semnani hopes the effort encourages compassion in a place where it can be hard to find.

“Human nature is born with kindness,” Semnani says. “But in prison, it’s not there.”

For Vanderhoef, the experience has been transformative.

“As I look back at the mistakes that were made, I have some regret and embarrassment,” he says. “But I have a lot more gratitude.”

Advertisement

Semnani says he recently spoke with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi about expanding the program nationally, potentially bringing similar opportunities to prisons across the country.

Breaking Chains debuted at the Utah International Film Festival and won the Audience Choice Award. Landin now hopes to promote it at film festivals worldwide in hopes of getting it in theaters for the public to see.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Utah

Nina Dobrev Wears a Bathrobe While in Utah for Sundance Film Festival

Published

on

Nina Dobrev Wears a Bathrobe While in Utah for Sundance Film Festival


Nina Dobrev‘s bathrobe photo has fans checking in from Park City, Utah, during Sundance weekend. She posted it 18 hours ago, tagged Park City, and wrote, “Final Sundance in Park City, Utah? bittersweet doesn’t begin to describe it…” Nina’s carousel from the Sundance Film Festival reads like downtime between screenings. The post shows about 480.8K likes and 888 comments.

Nina Dobrev shares a bathrobe photo from Utah during Sundance Film Festival

Have a look at Nina Dobrev in a bathrobe:

Photo Credit: Nina Dobrev Instagram

The “Vampire Diaries” alum wears a plush white hotel robe, loosely cinched at the waist. It falls open at the neckline. Her hair looks half-done, pinned up at the crown, with loose lengths down.

The warm bathroom lighting highlights marble counters and polished wood doors. The photos also landed after she discussed recovering from a dirt bike injury. Fans replied fast, with one writing, “Such a cutie,” another said, “Gorgeous,” and a third added, “THE DIVA”.

Advertisement

Originally reported by Santanu Das on Reality Tea





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending