Corey Crawford: ‘I'm not one hundred percent yet, but I've come a long way in the last couple of months.'

Share

“It hasn’t been easy since I left in December, but I’ll be back.”

Those were the final words of a visibly emotional Crawford as he walked away slightly teary eyed from a swarm of inquisitive media members asking about his status for next season. While Crawford’s final remarks may have provided a glimpse of hope, it appears to be just that—hope—his disclosed timetable for return remains unclear, and less optimistic.

When asked if he would be ready by training camp, Crawford admitted, “I’m not one hundred percent yet, but I’ve come a long way in the last couple of months. Right now, it’s just time.”

Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, time is of the essence, as September’s training camp fast approaches. He wouldn’t speak on the exact nature of the injury and put the rumors to rest by simply acknowledging them as just that—rumors.
 
Regardless of what the injury is, in the best scenario, Crawford is back in time for training camp and to start the season. Worst scenario, the waiting game for his return would continue for an unclear amount of time. Throw in a familiar third scenario, Crawford is back on time, but gets injured again, and the Blackhawks need to rely on another number one netminder. The good news for the Blackhawks is that they welcomed a goaltender who knows what it takes to win the Stanley Cup and has a breadth of NHL experience, Cam Ward. While his stats in Carolina may not look glamorous, let’s also not forget that Ward was a Conn Smythe winner on the Stanley Cup Championship team, in which he spent majority of the season in a backup role. He became the first starting goaltender to win a Stanley Cup as a rookie, since Patrick Roy in 1986. Twelve years later, Ward is just as hungry to join an organization where winning the Stanley Cup is not just a goal, it has become an expectation.  

“When I think about our run in 2006, I think back on the atmosphere that Hurricanes fans brought, and the buzz that the playoff brings. That’s the kind of atmosphere I’ll get to play in every night here in Chicago and I’m confident I will thrive in it.” He’s counting on you, Chicago fans.
 
Outside of Crawford’s status, the only question remaining, is how the team plans to avoid the tailspin they found themselves in last year after losing Crawford midway through the season. That’s the same question captain, Jonathan Toews, faced today, “As a team we have to fix all of our little problems that seemed to come to the surface when we lost our starting goaltender.” In other words, there were more issues than just the goaltending, that could be resolved with the comfort of an experienced NHL goaltender between the pipes. Throughout the season, many of the players stated it was not a lack of talent on the roster, but rather a lack of the intangibles—the swagger this team once had. It’s the kind of swagger that comes along with becoming the first franchise in NHL history at that time, to win three Stanley Cups in five years during the salary cap era.

Reflecting on those Stanley Cups with a grin on his face, Toews added, “that first cup we won in 2010… it was so exciting, and then each time after that it’s just as thrilling and you’re hungry for more. Then as time passes after those years, every time you get to the playoffs and you lose, you really know what you’re missing out on, so that eats away at you. When you’re sitting at home watching someone else have what you believe to be yours … it’s tough. We definitely have that feeling right now.”
 
As for why the Blackhawks are capable of getting back to their winning ways if Ward does in fact become the number one? He said, “the resume speaks for itself here in Chicago. Those core guys are still here. It’s exciting for me to come play with those guys, I’m hungry to be a part of the kind of culture that expects nothing short of making the playoffs. Losing isn’t acceptable here. I’m looking forward to a clean slate.”
 
The whole team echoed Ward’s last sentiment, as they look to erase the memory of last season, and turn the page to a new year.

Contact Us