'I didn't know he could skate like that': Markkanen takes ice ahead of Utah HC's debut

SALT LAKE CITY — Lauri Markkanen is used to being introduced to a sold-out Delta Center crowd, but not on skates.

That was the situation the Jazz forward found himself in on Tuesday night. Markkanen came out of the blue-lighted tunnel and pushed onto the ice to deliver the puck for Utah Hockey Club's inaugural puck drop.

"I felt like a little kid," the Utah Jazz forward said.

A kid who so happened to grow up on the ice of Finland dreaming of skating in an NHL arena. Check and check.

That youthful excitement was still on display the next morning, too. As Markkanen finished up shooting drills at the end of Wednesday's Jazz practice, he took small breaks to recount the details of the night.

"I didn't know he could skate like that," guard Jordan Clarkson said. "As I've said before, he's ready for whatever. He can do anything."

Markkanen held the puck up high for the raucous crowd and circled the ice while handing out a few fist bumps. He even jumped into the boards once to make sure he got the full hockey experience.

"I told him before he went out there, don't fall," Utah Hockey Club captain Clayton Keller said. "Apparently, he fell this morning."

However, Markkanen, who stayed upright for the puck drop ceremony, took some exception to Keller's version of events.

No, he never fell during a practice session for the ceremony. But, he said, he did fall during a lengthy free skate — skates which have become more commonplace now that there's a permanent ice sheet at the Delta Center.

And, as Markkanen was quick to point out, he wasn't the only one to take a recent tumble. The other person? Team owner Ryan Smith.

"I was skating around, shooting pucks. I did fall down once," he said. "But so did Ryan, so we are even."

Smith was the one who came up with the idea to put Markkanen — the Jazz's All-Star caliber forward — on skates. The initial plan was for Markkanen to skate out during the Utah Hockey Club's team introduction last spring, but there wasn't enough free ice space to pull it off properly.

The opener, though, was a different story.

The two started talking about that possibility again after being paired together during the Will Hardy Foundation Golf Tournament last month. What may have started as a joke quickly became a real plan.

"We kind of laughed about it, and then it was like, 'Yeah, let's do it,'" Markkanen said.

At long last, he was going to skate out like an NHL player. But were there any nerves for the big moment?

"More than a basketball game," he admitted. "It wasn't really my own field."

But a field — eh, ice? — that he's happy has made its way to Utah. Based on Tuesday's energized crowd, he is far from alone.

"The city and the state are ready for hockey," he said. "It's going to take some time to get to know all the players and learn them, but I think that was a really fun atmosphere."

Clarkson agreed — even if he did get spooked a couple of times by pucks smashing into the glass near him.

"Great vibes. Great to have something in the city that's new, different," he said. "It's a new experience. So I think that's super cool."

He also wouldn't mind some of that experience coming into Jazz games.

"Hockey crowds are a little rowdier. Maybe we can get a beer chug or something during our games," Clarkson said with a smile.

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