NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Joe Veleno was almost there, almost out of that hole, almost off the hellish hamster wheel of meaningless games on an endlessly rebuilding team. The Detroit Red Wings were there — right there. They were in a playoff spot as recently as last week. In his fourth full season in the NHL, Veleno’s team was fighting for its playoff life every game. It was tense and fun and harrowing and everything you dream of as a hockey player.
Then, some 45 minutes before the trade deadline, Veleno was yanked back into that hole, back onto that hamster wheel, back into an endless rebuild. Welcome to Chicago, Joe.
“Obviously, playing meaningful hockey gets a little bit more intense,” said Veleno, the newest Blackhawks forward. “When you’re not playing for anything — well, I wouldn’t say ‘for anything,’ but when you’re not playing for a playoff spot, it’s not as intense. The games aren’t as intense. You probably don’t have the same feeling in the locker room and all that.”
To go from a battle for a playoff spot to a battle for 30th place against the Nashville Predators, it’s a lot to process.
At least Veleno had plenty of time to do just that Friday evening as he waited out a nearly four-hour delay at Dulles International before popping home in Detroit after midnight, packing for a nine-day trip, sleeping three hours and then hopping on another flight to Nashville on Saturday morning for the Blackhawks’ game against the Predators on Saturday night.
A lack of sleep can, oddly, bring clarity sometimes. And though the trade stings, Veleno also realizes he has an opportunity to rejuvenate his career. After a modest breakthrough season last year in which he posted 12 goals and 16 assists in 80 games, Veleno’s ice time had dipped to a career-low 11:57 per game in Detroit as he stumbled through a five-goal, five-assist campaign. He was in and out of the lineup, too.
In his first game with the Blackhawks after being acquired for Petr Mrázek and Craig Smith, Veleno fared well, playing 13:07 (more than captain Nick Foligno), delivering three hits, helping to kill three penalties and going 4-of-8 on faceoffs. He was on the ice for Steven Stamkos’ game winner in overtime — completing the hat trick for Stamkos — but only because Ryan Donato made an ill-advised late change, leaving Veleno frantically and futilely trying to get back into the play through no fault of his own.
Leave a Reply