During the peak of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions in November 2020, professional hockey player Jeff Malott was finding it difficult to adjust. Having sealed a professional deal with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose post his final season with Cornell University, he had spent almost seven months gearing up for the 2020-21 competition that was constantly being deferred.
Jeff’s elder sibling, UFC icon Michael Malott, reminisces the phase when Jeff seemed increasingly dissatisfied due to the halted progress in his sporting career. According to him, Jeff was eager to proceed with his life and regularly voiced his longing for something concrete to invest his time in apart from the unstructured training routines.
Accustomed to the sport since childhood, Malott, who hailed from Burlington, Ontario, decided to swap some of his old hockey equipment at a local sports store. At the shop, an unexpected friendship blossomed between him and the store owner, Mark Hoppe. They immediately hit it off, and during their conversation, Malott discussed his monotony on account of the intermittent training sessions throughout the pandemic.
Sensing an opportunity, Hoppe revealed his staff’s crunch for personnel and extended an offer for Malott to join his team. Taking him up on it, Malott started working as a sales associate at Play It Again Sports. He confesses how he never envisioned an Ivy League graduate like himself working at a sports store, but the experience offered him something productive to immerse in.
Throughout his nearly three-month service in retail, Hoppe appreciated Malott’s performance. He discovered that Malott was adept at handling diverse customers, ranging from toddlers to the elderly, with equanimity. Hoppe was particularly impressed by Malott’s commitment while learning skills that may not necessarily be useful in his future, such as skate sharpening.
The store’s owner required his employees to pass a skate-sharpening test before attending to customers, and Malott surpassed this with remarkable speed. Hoppe reminisces that his team felt a sense of loss when Malott parted ways with them. He had left a positive impact on those who worked with him during that period.
Since parting from Play It Again Sports, Malott has inked two NHL contracts, debuted with the Winnipeg Jets for an NHL match, and secured a position as one of the top goal-scorers in the AHL league. Oddly, Malott wasn’t famed for scoring many goals during his college days, with only a consistent six goals per NCAA season across his four years at Cornell.
Morgan Barron, the Jets center, elucidated that Malott was generally designated to play defensive hockey at Cornell, pitting him consistently against the leading teams of the era. The 6-feet-3 left winger was known for his camaraderie. Mike Schafer, the Cornell coach, lauds him as an essential team asset whom any organization would want aboard, commending the Moose for their discerning choice in signing him.
Academic excellence was a consistent part of Malott’s journey, who was elected captain by his team during his senior year, after being voted into the NCAA all-academic team throughout his four years at Cornell. The season, which harbored some of his most notable university memories, saw the Big Red leading the nation in the USA Today rankings when the pandemic induced a cancellation of the 2019-20 season.
During his stint at Hoppe’s sports shop, Malott spoke about his and his father’s plan to construct an ice rink in their backyard. Gracious as ever, Hoppe extended a helping hand, offering equipment assistance for the project. He effortlessly provided Malott with whatever equipment he needed, from an NHL-grade net to a shooting pad.
Unfortunately, Malott couldn’t make use of the synthetic ice rink due to his professional commitments with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, but he didn’t let the aid go to waste. He used the shooting pad, the net, and a passing tool to improve his game. He dedicatedly worked to fine-tune his skills in his parents’ driveway, simulating an array of shots and drills to ameliorate his game.
Malott’s first AHL goal came from an unusual angle during Manitoba’s fourth game of the 2020-21 season against the Toronto Marlies. This moment sparked his breakout rookie year. He got a chance to play in the first line alongside David Gustafsson and Nathan Todd, leading to a team-high of 14 goals that season which earned him an entry contract with the Jets.
In the 2021-22 season, despite facing challenges like the removal of the NHL taxi squads and increased talent in the AHL, Malott persevered, scoring 23 goals and once again finishing as Manitoba’s highest goal-scorer. He leveraged his physical strengths, dominated the home plate area, and emerged as a formidable power forward. His fundamentals left both his current and former teammates astounded.
The narrative of Jeff Malott is a testament to his undeterred spirit and relentless patience. As summarized eloquently by his former Moose teammate and current Montreal Canadiens defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic, it shows how much of hockey is about the mindset, confidence, and opportunity. He lauds Malott for his perseverance and acknowledges his remarkable growth and evolution as a hockey player over the past couple of years.
The post From Retail to Rink: Jeff Malott’s Unexpected Hockey Journey appeared first on Real News Now.
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