Teravainen to play in first two exhibitions
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — As well as rookie Teuvo Teravainen has played in the first scrimmages of training camp, the decision has already been made by the Blackhawks to send their 2012 first-round draft pick back to Finland to play for Jokerit.
But not until he plays in the first two exhibition games, said coach Joel Quenneville.
“It’s within our rights to keep him, but we’re going to send him back and he’ll play over there,” Quenneville said Sunday. “It’s nice knowing you have a real good piece coming.
“He’ll likely play in the first couple (preseason games), and then we’ll get him going back over there. He’s a young kid, and with the Europeans you give them that extra year and they come over here and are stronger and ready for the grind. I think he could turn out to be a really special player and being patient with him is definitely the right thing.”
With Jonathan Toews and Brandon Pirri both sidelined Sunday with lower body injuries, Teravainen centered the line with Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell.
“His skill is sky high,” Kane said. “I had fun playing with him.
“I’m sure he could play and do well right now. It looks like he’s got a good shot and his hands are really good. He distributes the puck really well. I think he’s going to be a good one down the road.”
Teravainen is OK with the team’s decision to send him back to Finland.
“It’s been an awesome experience for me,” Teravainen said. “I think it’s better for me to go back to Finland.”
Kane commercial:
Patrick Kane’s video commercial for Bauer, where he stickhandles through a maze of pucks, never once touching one with his skates, has gone viral.
“Who haven’t I heard from is the better question,” Kane said Sunday. “It seems every time I check my phone it’s a new person asking if it’s real or how many takes it took or how long it took.
“I’ve had some fun with it. It’s pretty cool to see the end product and the end result. Tyler Sequin texted me yesterday and wanted to know if it was real, and I guess all the guys in Dallas wanted to know if it was real too. I guess it’s causing a little bit of a stir.”
Kane said he wasn’t trying to avoid kicking the pucks.
“I guess I didn’t really think about it while I was doing it, to be honest with you,” Kane said. “When you’re skating through you kind of have an idea where the pucks are, but you’re just kind of gliding through. I was worried about my stick; I wasn’t really worried about my feet.
“It’s something I practiced since I was a little kid, through pucks and different things. They told me to go as fast as I could and I tried to do it for them.”
Another good day:
Winger Jimmy Hayes made a strong impression with Joel Quenneville for the second day in a row.
“Jimmy Hayes had a real good week,” Quenneville said. “I thought he was one player that really stepped up and showed us that he wants to make our hockey team. I thought he worked at a different level during the off-season and got himself in much better shape. You can notice his quickness and his drive.”
The 6-foot-6, 221-pound Hayes admits he wants to follow the path of teammate Bryan Bickell.
“I’m just here working hard trying to make a name for myself,” Hayes said. “I decided I was going to try and use my size and speed to my advantage and try to standout there. Being a Black Ace last year and watching Bickell and seeing how he plays as a big guy, I’ve got to try and put that in my game.”