Pulkkinen working hard after shoulder surgery
Teemu Pulkkinen didn’t expect to be a hit on the ice with the Detroit Red Wings during training camp in Traverse City, Mich.
He was quite excited about being hit on the ice, though.
Recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, the Detroit forward has been taking part in full contact drills for the first time and feels like he’s progressing on schedule to get back into the team’s lineup.
“I’m hoping to maybe play one or two exhibition games,” said Pulkkinen, who was expected to miss 4-6 months due to the June surgery.
In fact, if Pulkkinen doesn’t make it to a pre-season game sooner rather than later, it won’t have anything to do with his surgicallyrepaired shoulder.
“Pulkkinen has chosen to come out and work extra,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill explained. “He said his shoulder feels good but his legs still have got a ways to go because he got a late start in skating, so he’s just trying to get himself in as good a shape as possible.
“When he does, hopefully he’ll get inserted into an exhibition game.”
Pulkkinen, who has opted to switch from No. 56 to No. 4 this season, indicated it was his left shoulder and not the right shoulder he injured last season that required surgery.
“I had a surgery in 2010 for the same shoulder,” Pulkkinen said. “Last season I didn’t feel so good with the shoulder. And at the end of the season I didn’t play much, so I didn’t know where we were with the shoulder.
“After the season I went to the world championships and it was bothering me there. So we decided to make surgery to make it better.”
Seeing action in just 11 of Detroit’s final 55 regular-season games and no playoff games, Pulkkinen, 24, who scored six times in 36 games, knows he’s got to turn some heads in pre-season play in order to regain some lost ground in the team’s deep numbers game at forward.
“We had to do the surgery and we know it’s going to maybe take some games from me,” Pulkkinen said. “Right now I feel good and like I said I’m hoping to play maybe one or two games.
“Maybe I can show something when I get out there.”