Chicago Blackhawks: Corey Crawford deserves more respect
The Chicago Blackhawks lost but their goaltender, Corey Crawford, deserves more respect.
The Chicago Blackhawks lost their game to the Edmonton Oilers. They were beaten by a team that looked faster, stronger, and more ready to play from the first drop of the puck. Blackhawks Twitter is ripping on Corey Crawford for his play and saying things about him that are very misinformed. He is not a bad goaltender now and he deserves way more respect than he is being given. He didn’t have his all-time best game but he certainly wasn’t the biggest problem.
He mishandled the puck behind the net when it was 4-3 Oilers and James Neal took advantage to make it 5-3. Well, guess what, that happens to the best goalies in the world at times and there is nothing you can do about it. It was a mistake but one that he has more than made up for during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks.
There are people already wondering if one of Malcolm Subban or Collin Delia will get the start for game three. That is the most disrespectful thing that I have ever heard. Malcolm Subban had a 3.17 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage in 21 games played this season. Delia didn’t play in the NHL at all this year because he probably isn’t an NHL goalie. Crawford at 80 percent is worlds better than either of them.
There are some other things to consider when you rip on Corey Crawford. He is a pending unrestricted free agent. His future is an unknown right now and that has to be a bit weird. He also had COVID-19 and only got in one practice after four months of quarantine before leaving for the NHL bubble. That certainly can’t be easy. He also has a newborn at home that he can’t see because he is out there battling for his teammates. Nobody would have blamed him if he chose not to play but here we are.
As far as his play on the ice, we knew that this series was going to involve a lot of goals. Neither team has a great defense but they both have a tremendous offense. Connor McDavid, the best player in the world, had a hat trick to lead Edmonton to victory in game two. There is nothing Corey Crawford can do about that. He also can’t really do anything about pucks bouncing off of Duncan Keith and going in behind him.
Looking at the Blackhawks potential first-round opponents. light. Hot
Corey Crawford might not be the goalie that he was five years ago but he is certainly the Blackhawks only hope of winning this series. If Connor McDavid had a chance against the two other guys he might score five. Corey Crawford should have his number retired because of how good he was for Chicago. He is a multi-time champion and the guy that they should want to go to battle with. Don’t be mean to Corey Crawford, he has given you everything.