While Juuso Välimäki is playing hockey for the Coyotes, his cousin Sami Välimäki is living out his dreams as a professional golfer.
While Juuso Välimäki is playing hockey for the Coyotes, his cousin Sami Välimäki is living out his dreams as a professional golfer.
Juuso Välimäki has made an impact for the Arizona Coyotes since his arrival to the Valley at the start of last season.
What many people may not know is that the 25-year-old defenseman has a cousin named Sami Välimäki who is a professional golfer and is currently competing at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
While Juuso is in a cold rink with full equipment skating on ice, Sami is usually seen outside on beautiful green grass playing golf.
They are two family members that are playing two truly totally different yet beautiful sports in their own aspects.
Despite sharing similar athletic aspirations and bonding in that way, Juuso and Sami don’t get to see each other all that often, so with the WM Open taking place in Arizona, the Välimäki’s have been able to reunite.
“It’s really cool,” Juuso said. “He’s playing, kind of got in last minute, but it’s awesome. I’ve seen him the last couple of days and overall it’s cool, him getting the PGA card… He is here for a little bit now and for me and for him it’s been awesome to spend some time…”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpZnhwBzsO8[/embed]
Juuso has had the opportunity to watch Sami play golf and amazement is the best way to describe his reaction.
“It's remarkable how easy the game looks when you look through a professional's eyes,” Juuso said. “Yeah, it's crazy, but I guess that's how it's supposed to be. They'll probably watch us on the hockey rink and say it looks easy. So I guess that's how it's supposed to be, but yeah, it's pretty crazy to see him up close and play with him.”
Both Juuso and Sami are 25-years-old, so the fact they play at the highest level at their respective sport has to be a major accomplishment for the Välimäki family.
Most families are lucky to even have one professional athlete, but two is just baffling to say the least.
Keep an eye out this weekend for the Välimäki’s on the ice and on the green.