Sean Durzi held a coffee cup in the air and yelled, “Mocha latte, anyone?”
The Utah Hockey Club defenseman was behind the counter at a Salt Lake City coffee shop.
Durzi is not on the ice blocking shots and making big plays for Utah right now. The blueliner underwent shoulder surgery in October and was given a four-to-six-month timeline for his return.
In the meantime, he took a twirl as a barista on Wednesday, working to make community connections away from the rink while recovering from injury as part of the SEG Foundation’s “Pay It Forward” Day.
“If we can’t do it on the ice right now, it’s nice for us to contribute in other ways,” Durzi said. “With this free time, it’s really important for us to come here and show everybody that we love this community and we love to give back.”
Durzi is no longer in a sling but said he did not have a date for when he could be back in the lineup.
Fellow Utah defenseman John Marino joined Durzi at Bjorn’s Brew and manned the drive-through window while his teammate was at the register. Marino underwent lower back surgery in October and will be out for three to four months, but he’s also been active in getting to know his new home.
Rehabilitating from a serious injury is hard. Players are away from the team, do not travel, do not play and are at the facility hours before or after practice to work on their recovery process.
Durzi and Marino have been able to lean on each other in what can be an isolating experience.
“I don’t want to ever wish injury on anyone, but for me and John to be going through it together, it keeps us motivated. Pushing each other every day. Obviously, it’s unfortunate that you’ve got to go through it but there couldn’t be a better guy to be going through it with,” Durzi said. “For us to be bonding and pushing each other and competing to try to get back on the ice as quickly as we can has been as good as it can be.”
While Durzi skated in four games this season before getting injured, Marino has yet to hit the ice for Utah and missed the entirety of training camp, too. The 27-year-old was traded to Utah from the New Jersey Devils in June but has had to wait to make his debut.
New Jersey Devils’ John Marino (6) celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets with teammates during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP)
Marino had 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) through 75 games with the Devils last season while averaging 20:57 of ice time a night. Durzi had 41 points (nine goals, 32 assists) through 76 games last year in Arizona and averaged 22:43 of ice time.
The puck-moving defensemen’s eventual returns will greatly bolster Utah’s backend which has been riddled with injuries this season.
“Huge contributions all across the board — next-man-up mentality,” Durzi said of his defensive teammates. “You always say that and it’s so hard in the best league in the world. The guys couldn’t have done a better job so far.”
Durzi has been following his team from afar and attended games at Delta Center as he waits to jump back into the action. Players like Mikhail Sergachev, Michael Kesselring and Olli Määttä have taken on greater responsibility in Durzi — and Marino’s — absences, and the work won’t stop soon.
Robert Bortuzzo left Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury and head coach André Tourigny said he did not think the defenseman would be ready for Thursday’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Not to mention, Maveric Lamoureux is sidelined for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury.
Utah announced Wednesday it recalled Kevin Connauton from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, likely to fill the gaps.
Utah Hockey Club’s Sean Durzi, left, and Clayton Keller, right, react after Keller scored the winning goal during overtime of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
“You want to be out there, you hate to miss games. But at the same time, it’s part of our game, it’s why we do what we do,” Durzi said. “When you miss a game or two, you watch it systematically and you try to keep that. Obviously a bit of a fan which is weird right now. I’m really just dying for the guys to get some wins. In that sense, I’m cheering the guys on pretty hard.”
Utah is entering a two-game road trip in which it will face the Avalanche and San Jose Sharks before returning to Delta Center next Wednesday to play the Vancouver Canucks.
It is safe to say Durzi will be supporting the team back home.
“It’s nice to kind of sit back and see the crowd at games and how passionate they are,” Durzi said. “It’s motivation for us wanting to get back out there on the ice, in the community.”