Justin Bottoms' hockey dreams started as a teenager in a shack, and on a lark. Bottoms, now 38, was in high school working at Stick Shack, a Des Moines-area hockey equipment retailer, when the store closed. So, at age 18, with help from his parents who managed an ice rink in Jefferson, Bottoms opened JT's Slapshot, his own hockey retailer. Bottoms sold his business to Pure Hockey, a hockey retailer based in Massachusetts, in January 2024. But Bottoms is as involved in the business as ever and said selling his beloved shop gave him a better work-life balance. Today, Bottoms still works as a manager at the Urbandale Pure Hockey store. Almost two years after selling JT's Slapshot and after watching the store get renamed, Bottoms is still beloved by his employees. Few things have changed, except for interior and exterior signage. Tap the link in our bio for more on this story. #Urbandale #Iowa #hockey