Hawks' Teuvo Teravainen Anticipates 'Very High-Level' Hockey at Olympics
The Chicago Blackhawks are embracing their absence of Olympians as a potential competitive advantage, while Teuvo Teravainen is set to be one of the few representatives from the team. The lone Finnish player on the roster believes that his teammates' extended break will allow them to return refreshed and ready for action.
"Almost every Hawk should feel at least close to 100% physically and mentally when we resume practices," Teravainen said, noting that most opposing stars are battling tooth-and-nail for a gold medal in Milan. "It's going to be a very high-level game [with] a lot of speed... We have a really good team, so we're trying to win the whole tournament."
Teravainen will not join his Finnish teammates until they arrive in New York after the Olympics. However, he expects to face stiff competition when Finland takes on Slovakia, Sweden, and Italy in preliminary-round games.
Meanwhile, Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno is weighing his options as a pending free agent with the NHL's March 6 deadline looming. Despite having some concerns about the team's direction, Foligno expressed his desire to see the Hawks through to the playoffs.
"I kind of want to know that we're going to stick with it and go for [the playoffs]," Foligno said. "That's my thought process now." The team has struggled lately, including a recent 4-0 loss against their division rivals.
The Blackhawks' Olympic absence may prove beneficial as they look to regain momentum in the NHL schedule.
The Chicago Blackhawks are embracing their absence of Olympians as a potential competitive advantage, while Teuvo Teravainen is set to be one of the few representatives from the team. The lone Finnish player on the roster believes that his teammates' extended break will allow them to return refreshed and ready for action.
"Almost every Hawk should feel at least close to 100% physically and mentally when we resume practices," Teravainen said, noting that most opposing stars are battling tooth-and-nail for a gold medal in Milan. "It's going to be a very high-level game [with] a lot of speed... We have a really good team, so we're trying to win the whole tournament."
Teravainen will not join his Finnish teammates until they arrive in New York after the Olympics. However, he expects to face stiff competition when Finland takes on Slovakia, Sweden, and Italy in preliminary-round games.
Meanwhile, Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno is weighing his options as a pending free agent with the NHL's March 6 deadline looming. Despite having some concerns about the team's direction, Foligno expressed his desire to see the Hawks through to the playoffs.
"I kind of want to know that we're going to stick with it and go for [the playoffs]," Foligno said. "That's my thought process now." The team has struggled lately, including a recent 4-0 loss against their division rivals.
The Blackhawks' Olympic absence may prove beneficial as they look to regain momentum in the NHL schedule.
teravainen is so calm & focused about his teammates being out for olympics its actually kinda nice to see him like that... hope he gets to have a great time with finland in new york 
and brings back some awesome vibes for the blackhawks when they come back 
. It's like, yeah, most of their teammates aren't playing in the Olympics, so that's actually a plus for them. No more fatigue and all that jazz. Plus, when they do get back, it'll be like a fresh start or something. Teravainen seems pretty confident about it too - I mean, he's got no reason to think they won't make it to the playoffs. And Foligno's gotta be thinking about his own future too, so if they can just get into a winning rhythm, that'd be awesome 
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Those Finnish hockey players are gonna be so tired by the time Teuvo gets there, I bet it's all just a ruse to get them to take a break from their "high-level" games. Meanwhile, Finns are gonna crush those preliminary round opponents and then what? 
! Like what's the point of even having a break from hockey? It's not like we need an excuse to be sluggish on the ice anyway 
. And don't even get me started on Teuvo Teravainen saying most opposing stars are battling for a gold medal... yeah right, that's just code for 'we're going to get destroyed' 
.
. It's not like he's trying to make it out of here by any means necessary... or is he? 
... why are they leaving their best players for the Olympics and coming back just in time to compete? it's like a recruitment strategy, you know? they're trying to lull everyone into a false sense of security before the playoffs. and teravainen is being too optimistic about the team's chances... have you seen the Blackhawks' recent losses? 4-0 to their division rivals? that's not "high-level" hockey, that's just a meltdown 
...
It's like no one else cares about the Blackhawks' situation besides me... anyway, back to Teuvo Teravainen 
. I mean, can you blame him for being optimistic? The rest of his team hasn't played in ages, so they should be raring to go! 
It's just frustrating that we have to wait a whole day for updates on the Blackhawks' performance... UGH, FORUM SPEED IS SLOW TODAY 
! With Teuvo back on the ice, he's got some big games ahead of him 
. The Blackhawks are like, super lucky to have him as their only rep 
, and it's gonna be awesome to see them take on Slovakia, Sweden, and Italy in preliminary round 
. They lost that 4-0 game to their division rivals, and it was super disappointing 
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but seriously tho, teuvo teravainen is spot on about his teammates bing refreshed and ready for playoffs... they've been lookin at it all wrong if they think playin olympic hockey will hurt their game lol anyway, cant wait to see what happens when finland takes on other euro teams in prelims 
... like almost every single one of them is gonna be near 100% by the time they play again? That's wild. And with all those top players out at the Olympics, I'm actually kinda worried that the Hawks will be able to dominate when they come back. They've been struggling lately and a short break might not give 'em enough of an edge.
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teuvo teravainen is gonna be SO speedy on the ice haha! i remember watching those finnish guys crush it at the olympics in '96... my pops was so stoked he finally got to see them win something 
its funny how hockey players gotta think about their bank account too 
and I'm sure he'll bring that Fin heat 
to the ice 
The rest of the team better be ready 2 bounce back from their break 
or else they'll get left behind 
gotta give it up 4 Nick Foligno tho, he's sticking w/ what he knows 
! But what if they lose? How will it affect their performance in the NHL schedule? I think it's cool that he's trying to stay positive despite the pressure, but at the same time, I'm also worried about his team's struggles lately 
They just lost 4-0 to their own division rivals, that's not exactly a good sign. And what about Nick Foligno, is he really gonna re-sign with the team or is he outta here? The NHL's March deadline is looming and I'm not sure if they're ready for playoffs mode. It feels like they need to sort out some stuff before they can start competing at that high level. 
I think it's cool that Teuvo is looking at this Olympics thing like a super competitive hockey match 
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! The Hawks are all like "we don't need no Olympians" and now they're reaping the benefits of everyone else being exhausted 
Can't wait to see how this all plays out!
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. And can we talk about Nick Foligno being a pending free agent? 
! The Blackhawks need some momentum in their NHL schedule ASAP 
. Maybe this Olympic break is just what they need to recharge and come back stronger