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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BLACKHAWKS v LIGHTNINGJune 4, 2015Teuvo TeravainenAntoine VermetteTAMPA, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q. Teuvo, after the game last night, Marian Hossa called you Finnish Cold. Is that a better name than Turbo? TEUVO TERAVAINEN: I never heard that before. I guess that's right, I try to be pretty calm out there, do my thing, doesn't have to stress about it too much. I think I play better if I'm just calm and ready. Q. Teuvo, your brother plays hockey, your sister plays hockey, your dad plays hockey. Does your mom play hockey? Who is the best hockey player in your family? TEUVO TERAVAINEN: My mom plays four ball, it's popular in Finland. My dad also. My sister is pretty good, too. My brother is pretty good. He's a D man. But I think right now I'm the best (laughter). We'll see how it's going. Q. Antoine, when you got traded here, you talked about getting the opportunity to do this, to be here on this stage. How comfortable and confident do you feel with your role with this team now? ANTOINE VERMETTE: This is very exciting. It is something I was looking forward to. I've been saying all along this is a great opportunity. Trying to make the best out of it. We have a good group, great players. This is very exciting moment. Every time you have a chance to play at that time of the year, this is something you want to grab and take advantage of it. Q. Antoine, the Lightning were just in here. A lot of them were talking about, We respect the Blackhawks, we don't fear the Blackhawks. Similar things that Anaheim, Minnesota, Nashville before them.  Do you sense that, there's an advantage you have based on the respect factor, teams fear you a little bit? ANTOINE VERMETTE: I don't think so. If you make it that far, you got to bring your A game. This is a great group. Every team that advance to this point, it's a competitive league, they've been successful. They're confident over there, they have a good group. But on our side, too, we have some confidence as well. Q. Did Andrew Shaw actually bite Victor Hedman? ANTOINE VERMETTE: I have no idea. I read about that. There was a little question about that. I didn't see it. I don't know about it. TEUVO TERAVAINEN: Yeah, I have no idea about it. Q. It seemed to me last night the experience of this team was really important. You didn't panic. You hung in there and were able to get them in the third period. Talk about joining this team, sensing the experience, the calm, what that does for you in big‑pressure games. ANTOINE VERMETTE: Yeah, I think that's a good point. Since I got here, something I've noticed. Didn't come as a surprise, though. I played against these guys for quite a long time. If you're going to be successful at that time of the year, if you're going to push yourself and be good at it, you're going to have to face adversity. Certainly in key moments like that, you need to persevere and show confidence, and trust that you're going to get it done through the process. I think that last night was a good example of that. Stuck with it. TEUVO TERAVAINEN: Yeah, I think just last night, the start wasn't the best for us. I think Tampa Bay was pretty ready for the game. And they play good in the first. We started to play better in the second, and great third, of course. Got two big goals and great win. I think there's always feeling in our locker room when we're down goal or couple goals that we might come back. There's always feeling. I think it's just a great thing to have there. Q. Antoine, having faced the Blackhawks before in the playoffs, can you compare your impressions of the strength of this organization as an opponent compared to what you've learned since joining this team? ANTOINE VERMETTE: I think by their style of play, I knew they were a fast team, play with a lot of pace. Something obviously went through the group, you experience that. But I think as far as touching a little bit that the confidence, the experience factor, something from the outside you can imagine being there. But the way the guys are professional approaching every situation, it speaks for itself. I think you can tell they've been through some experience. That's the way I would put it, yeah. Q. Teuvo, scoring a goal in the Cup Final. Did you get any impression if people were watching back home in the middle of the night? What was the reaction in Finland? TEUVO TERAVAINEN: Yeah, the game started like 3 a.m. in Finland. I think there were still a lot of my friends and family, a lot of Fins matches that game. Of course, it's great to score a goal. I think that was kind of lucky one. Just shoot it and it went in. But, of course, it's great for me, and I think Finland went a little crazy about it, too. That's fun. Q. Teuvo, what has it meant to have Kimmo here with you? What kind of advice has he given you? TEUVO TERAVAINEN: Yeah, it's great to have him here. Just a great guy. He's been like a second dad for me right now 'cause my real dad is far, far in Finland. Just helping with some little things. Just a lot of experience, just great to have him here. Q. Teuvo, you always played with older guys, up a level. Were you ever motivated when they said that you were too small, that you might not ever make it to the NHL because of your size? TEUVO TERAVAINEN: Yeah, of course, I always been playing with the little older guys, always been like the smallest guy out there. I don't know, of course I heard that before, You're small, you might never make it. I always try to like work hard, do something else like better, like skating and skills. Just work hard and get my chance, just trust myself. Q. Antoine, in the first two periods last night, the Lightning really seemed to be aggressive, kind of attacking the puck, making it hard to get in the zone, taking away the center of the ice. What do you guys have to do to change that next game? How tough was that in the first two periods last night? ANTOINE VERMETTE: They were obviously really effective, especially early on in the game. We knew they were a fast team with some skill. They showed that early in the game. On our side, we like to play that kind of game, too. It's a matter of puck possession, establishing pressure and speed. Whoever does that better give themself a better chance in the game. So I think it's a matter of positioning, puck positioning, skating, putting pressure on them. Q. We talk a lot about Teuvo's skill. You've been on the line with him for a while now. Turning over, winning a battle. How is he just beyond a skilled player, the other things he does well? ANTOINE VERMETTE: He's a smart kid. He's a smart player. See the ice really well. Great skill. We've been talking about that. He's an exciting, fun player to watch. Very good with the puck. Like with that play, he's having a good, active stick as well. On that play, I think that's a great illustration of it. He kept moving his feet, and he made a great play there. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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