Chicago Blackhawks' Darling thrilled by Obama shout-out

As the Blackhawks were standing at attention during a White House ceremony to celebrate their 2015 Stanley Cup title, President Barack Obama threw them a bit of a curveball when he spoke at length about Kimmo Timonen and Scott Darling.

Obama first talked about Timonen overcoming blood clots and winning the Stanley Cup in his final NHL season.

Then he moved on to a shocked - and clearly uncomfortable - Darling.

"For President Obama to know who you are, let alone compliment you and talk about you in a positive way - it was pretty special," Darling said Wednesday.

Obama praised Darling for his generosity in paying for a man's hotel room and groceries during a Blackhawks road trip to Arizona after the all-star break.

"They loved it," Darling said of his teammates. "They were all looking at me when it was happening. Seabs (Brent Seabrook) was supporting me because I was getting a little bit woozy there."

Said Jonathan Toews: "Well, it was awesome. You're kind of used to hearing the names of the star players and hearing about their contributions throughout the playoffs. That's just kind of what grabs headlines.

"But to go in there … and to be talking about guys like Kimmo and Scott with the things they've done on and off the ice, I think it's pretty cool and very deserving for those guys."

Darling is keeping in touch with the man he helped out.

"He's doin' good," Darling said. "He appreciates it and seems to be making the most of it."

Slight shuffle:

Teuvo Teravainen was centering the third line at Wednesday's practice with Dennis Rasmussen and Andrew Desjardins on the left and right wings, respectively. Phillip Danault centered the fourth line with Brandon Mashinter and Jiri Sekac on the wings.

Teravainen had been playing right wing and Danault center on the third line, while Rasmussen had been centering the fourth line.

Kruger update:

Marcus Kruger (wrist) has been skating and working on stickhandling drills before Hawks practices. The center is expected to be out until the playoffs, and coach Joel Quenneville said Kruger has not been cleared for contact and still has "no pace to his shot."

Zucker on IR:

Minnesota Wild winger Jason Zucker was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a concussion as a result of the hit he took from Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival on Sunday. Rozsival received a game misconduct but was not disciplined further by the league. Zucker can be activated as early as Monday, meaning he'll miss at least three games.

He said it:

"It's nice to establish that connection with fans and people who are interested … in your interests and everything you're trying to do off the ice. Going forward, I'm excited to see what develops in that area."

Jonathan Toews on joining Twitter late last week