Chicago Blackhawks goalies form close bond

The first time Scott Darling walked into the Chicago Blackhawks locker room, he was a nervous wreck.

There he was early in the 2014-15 season, a 25-year-old journeyman of 13 teams, set to play for one he grew up rooting for his entire life. And he was backing up Corey Crawford, a goalie he greatly admired.

"It was pretty much speak only when spoken to," Darling said.

One of the people he did talk to, though, was Crawford, who welcomed Darling with open arms. The two quickly formed a friendship, one that survived a potential land mine during the 2015 postseason, and one that has grown stronger over the past two years.

"It was intimidating to come in and be his teammate," Darling said. "He made it so easy for me and made me feel comfortable. It really helped me on the ice because I was nervous to be here."

Crawford, who also formed a tight relationship with former Hawks goalies Ray Emery and Marty Turco, has seen goalie tandems that don't get along and knows that kind of atmosphere is not good for team morale.

"Turco was awesome for me," Crawford said of the then-35-year-old veteran who was backing up Crawford in 2010-11. "Just makes things better around the room."

The perfect example

When they're on the road, Darling and Crawford may have dinner together, crack jokes and talk goaltending, but don't expect to see them attending the same concert any time soon.

"Music, I don't know," said a smiling Crawford. "He likes some heavy metal, scream-o music."

So while Darling may not ask Crawford for tips on what band to see, he has paid attention to how the seven-year veteran handles his business on and off the ice.

What impresses Darling the most is how Crawford turns the page immediately after allowing a goal.

"He learns from it, moves on, it's gone," said Darling, who admitted he can be pretty high strung on the ice. "That's something I've had to work hard to improve on because when you get into the NHL at first you feel like you're under a huge microscope.

"Everything you do wrong, everyone's watching … and the reporters are watching (smiles). But once you get a little more comfortable and established and watching the way he's done it, it's like you have to move on."

That's not something Crawford learned on Day One.

Or Year One or Year Two.

Crawford, remember, became the Hawks' starting goaltender during the 2010-11 season right after the Hawks won it all in 2010, so he was under that "huge microscope" right from the get-go.

His numbers dropped significantly from his first year to his second, but Crawford put it all together during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season by going 19-5-5 record with a .926 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-against average.

"I wasn't as consistent in my second year," Crawford said early last year. "I had really good games and I had really bad ones that year, a lot of really bad ones.

"I took some stuff personally. But I think going through that, you learn a lot about yourself and you learn how to deal with things, and really just how to shut things out."

True test

This friendship easily could have crashed and burned before it had a chance to develop.

Starting goalies have their pride, after all, and Crawford's was tested during the Hawks' first-round playoff series against Nashville during the 2015 Stanley Cup run.

It took all of one period for coach Joel Quenneville to put Darling in net after Crawford gave up 3 goals in the first 20 minutes of Game 1. Darling was sensational, making 42 saves, including one on Ryan Ellis midway through the third period that Hawks fans still talk about.

Crawford returned for Game 2, but the Hawks lost 6-2, and Darling started the next four games.

Instead of pouting or distancing himself from teammates, Crawford hung in there and got behind his friend.

"He was my biggest cheerleader and staying on me and pushing me in practice, making sure that I was ready to go and play my best because it's all about the team," Darling said. "It didn't affect us at all.

"It was really cool."

Make no mistake: Crawford was not happy about the situation, and the locker room was incredibly tense after that Game 2 loss.

"Things just weren't going good," Crawford said. "And he came in and he played unbelievable.

"It's a tough spot to argue with. You just kind of have to suck it up and battle … and make sure you're ready if or when you go back in."

As Hawks fans know, Darling won Games 3 and 4 by allowing just 4 goals on a whopping 89 shots. The Hawks lost Game 5, and after Darling allowed 3 goals on 12 shots in Game 6, Crawford returned to the net for the rest of the playoffs.

"It was a tough time in my career, but it worked out pretty darn good, I would say," Crawford said.

Here and now

Things certainly are working out pretty darn good for the Hawks these days as well, with Crawford (10-6-2, .924 save percentage) and Darling (4-0-1, .909) forming one of the better 1-2 combos in the league.

"The one thing those two guys have is an incredible chemistry the way they hang out and spend time whether it's on the plane (or) they practice and are talking to each other," assistant coach Kevin Dineen said. "I think Crow and Darls really feed off of each other."

Unfortunately for the Hawks, Darling is an unrestricted free agent after this season and - unless general manager Stan Bowman does the nearly unthinkable and trades Crawford - they'll almost certainly lose him to a team that would love an agile 6-foot-6 netminder.

Give Crawford plenty of credit for helping get Darling to that stage, even if that means he would have to face him in the coming years.

"It's important to be able to talk to your partner and get feedback about each other's games," Crawford said. "We're here to push each other, compete hard.

"That's what makes us better if we have close, tough competition, but it's in a good way. Our relationship is always positive."