It has been nearly 300 days since Corey Crawford last played an NHL game, but the talented Chicago Blackhawks goalie appears ready to suit up Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes.
“We’ll see how he is in the morning, but we expect him to play tomorrow,” Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters Wednesday after his team’s practice. “He looks good.”
Crawford had a great start to the 2017-18 season, racking up a 16-9-2 record with a .929 save percentage, 2.27 goals-against average and two shutouts but sustained an undisclosed injury, was placed on injured reserve and eventually shut down for the season.
The team and player were vague about the injury but it was revealed to be a concussion.
At one point this past summer, Crawford’s future in hockey even seemed murky.
“It could feel kind of lonely at times being out that long,” Crawford said in late July of his lengthy layoff. “I got to go to the games obviously but it’s still not the same. Not the same as stepping on the ice, hearing the crowd, just being there in the locker room, enjoying the times on the ice with [teammates], and after games, all that stuff, it’s hard to be away from especially when you do something your whole life.
“When you’re used to doing something and you don’t do it for a long period of time it’s tough but it is what it is. Injuries happen and you just try to get back as quickly as you can.”
Crawford, 33, has been practising with his team for the past three weeks and is feeling good.
“We’re still going to wait until tomorrow morning [to make an official call], but right now I’m doing good,” Crawford said. “I’ve been getting the timing a little bit more and getting up to speed and reading shots and all of that, so it’ll be since to finally get in one.”
The Blackhawks are off to a 3-0-2 start with off-season signing Cam Ward getting the nod in each game.
Crawford will need to be activated off injured reserve and the Blackhawks will have to send a player down. Anton Forsberg, the team’s third-string goalie is a likely candidate to for demotion.
Not that any team in the NHL is an easy out, but for his first game back the Coyotes would be the ideal opponent. Arizona has scored just three goals in five games so far this season.
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