Trio of Chicago Blackhawks so close to first Stanley Cup title
TAMPA - In some ways, things couldn't be working out any better for Antoine Vermette. In some ways, though, things could get a bit dicey over the next two weeks.
Vermette, the Blackhawks' 32-year-old center whom they acquired at the trade deadline, is tantalizingly close to lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. But he's also days away from becoming a father for the second time.
"I told her: 'Be patient. Be really patient,' " said a smiling Vermette during Stanley Cup media day at the Amalie Arena on Tuesday.
Vermette and his wife, Karen, are high school sweethearts and have been together since they were 14. She's due on June 17, which happens to be when Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final would be played if necessary. So what happens if she goes into labor before or during a game?
"Honestly, she's so great," Vermette said. "We've been together for such a long time. She mentioned that she wouldn't even put me in the situation to face a decision.
"I don't think she would call me. She would call me after."
Vermette, Andrew Desjardins and Kimmo Timonen are the three players GM Stan Bowman traded for to give the Hawks much-needed depth for a long playoff run. Vermette and Desjardins said Tuesday that they want to enjoy the moment and not get too far ahead of themselves.
"Obviously you dream for this opportunity," said Desjardins, who has proved a feisty foe on the fourth line with Andrew Shaw and Marcus Kruger. "The process has been just amazing.
"You're dreaming for this moment since you are a little kid. You don't want to take it for granted - you want to go out there and give it your best every shift, every minute, every second."
None of these players has ever won it all, having played a combined 2,227 regular-season games in the NHL. Timonen (2010 with the Flyers) and Vermette (2007 with the Senators) have been to the Final but fell short.
Before being traded to the Hawks, the 40-year-old Timonen was sitting out due to blood clots in his right lung and both legs. He came in and provided a veteran presence for a thinned-out Hawks defense, but he didn't dress in Games 6 or 7 against Anaheim in the Western Conference finals.
"I've been frustrated, I can't lie to you," Timonen said. "I would say everybody would be in my position. But I'm going to try to stay positive and if there's a chance they need me I'm ready to go."
In the end, whether or not he's in the lineup will make very little difference if the 17-year pro can achieve every hockey player's ultimate dream.
"I'm here to win the Cup," Timonen said. "If I'm not playing or I'm playing - I think about it and it's a reflection of 17 years and 1,100 games.
"In my mind, I earned it, I paid my dues. Would I'd rather be on the ice to play? Of course. But that's coach's decision and they put the best lineup on the ice.
"It's going to be such a big moment if that happens and I'm going to really enjoy it."