Teuvo Teravainen hopes to guide Blackhawks back into contention: ‘Let’s get to work’ originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by National Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
Teuvo Teravainen and the Chicago Blackhawks met on the first day of NHL free agency after agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with a cap hit of $5.4 million. He’s officially back.
On Tuesday, Teravainen met with the media via Zoom for the first time since his hiring. Fittingly, he was wearing a Blackhawks hat.
“I found the old hat somewhere in the corner,” Teravainen said. “I thought I’d put it on.”
Teravainen was originally selected by the Blackhawks with the 18th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. He played three years in Chicago and was part of the 2015 Stanley Cup-winning team before being traded for salary cap reasons to Carolina, where he spent the last eight seasons.
Teravainen wanted the reunion probably as much as the Chicago fan base.
“It’s amazing to be back,” Teravainen said. “I kind of knew they were a little interested, and also for me, when I heard they might be interested, I was immediately very interested. I had a few options, but I felt like it was the right path for me right now. , so excited. Kinda easy because I know the city, I have good memories there, such an easy decision.”
When the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015, Teravainen was playing more in a third-line role. He was also a key part of their penalty-killing unit.
Fast forward to now, Teravainen – who scored a career-high 25 goals last season – is a four-time 60-point producer and four-time 20-goal scorer. He should give the Blackhawks an immediate boost in the top six and on both special teams units.
“I was a different player back then,” Teravainen said. “Every type of game, taking it step by step, better every year. I spent a lot of time at Carolina, so I learned how to play how they play there, so it was a great few years there. should be a little older and a better player. I hope I can bring a little bit of everything, experience and complete game.”
The idea of playing with Connor Bedard also appealed to Teravainen.
“Yes, of course,” said Teravainen. “I haven’t seen him play much live, but of course I’ve seen all the highlights. He seems like a very good player. Young, for sure, but hopefully I can help him improve. But that would, of course, be cool to play with him .”
The locker room has changed drastically since he was last with the Blackhawks. There were no players left from any of the three Stanley Cup teams.
There will, however, be at least one familiar face in the organization: Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, who shared an incredible story last week about his unique relationship with Teravainen.
Davidson, who began his tenure with the Blackhawks in 2010 as a hockey operations intern, said he was the one who picked Teravainen up at the airport when he first came from Finland to join the Blackhawks.
“I don’t even know if he remembers me or knows that that guy who picked him up is the same person who hired him now,” Davidson said. “Teuvo was the one I chose and I spent the most time with because he was younger and he was the youngest by far, so I made sure he felt comfortable here in Chicago. I think I was probably first friends with him here until he navigated the locker room and found some guys to hang out there, and then they let him go with the team after that.
“It’s funny to see it come full circle when I’m signing him to a new contract and bringing him in as a veteran player when I picked him up at the airport as the youngest player on the team at the time. Whether he knows it or not, we have a little more history there than he can understand.”
Teravainen was asked about his perspective and acknowledged that he does, in fact, remember Davidson picking him up from Chicago O’Hare and being the one who showed him around the city.
“I remember that,” Teravainen said. “It’s a bit of a funny story now, he’s the GM and no longer the driver. It’s been a long time, but I remember hanging out with him a bit and him taking me around and helping with little things.
“I was a young player and didn’t know anything about anything, I just came from Europe, so it was amazing to have some people helping me. He seemed like a good guy back then, so it’s not a big surprise where he is now.”
Teravainen probably leaned heavily on Davidson as he got used to North America a decade ago, and in some ways it looks like the roles will be reversed in their second attempt together. The Blackhawks hope to take the next step in their rebuild, and Davidson hopes he can count on Teravainen to be one of the pieces in making them more competitive on the ice and imparting his wisdom to some of the younger players off it. .
Teravainen knows what it’s like to experience playoff hockey in Chicago. He is motivated to be part of the group that helps bring the Blackhawks back to being a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
“I have good memories there,” Teravainen said. “I don’t know, I just felt like it was a good path for me right now. I can join a young team, hopefully I can help them get back to the playoffs, get back to where the good teams are. this is a really good and exciting chance for me to be part of something like this.
“Of course, winning is more fun than losing, so I want to do it right away, but hopefully we can get there as quickly as possible. Let’s work in Chicago so we can get there.”
