Crawford to start tonight vs. Arizona
It's official: Corey Crawford will play for the first time in nearly 10 months when the Blackhawks host Arizona tonight.
"He missed five games to start the year, so I think we're fortunate that it's this early," said coach Joel Quenneville. "We've got a big stretch of games in front of us right now as well. We'll see how he's handling it in selecting his (future) starts.
"But we're definitely excited about this situation."
Patrick Kane sure is - and he can't wait to hear the reaction of the home fans.
"It'll be exciting to see the crowd's reaction and hear that ovation when they announce his name," Kane said. "It should get us pretty pumped up."
Crawford does not speak to the media in the morning on game days when he is playing, but said this after practice Wednesday: "Overall it's my decision. At the end of the day, I'm the only one that really knows how I'm feeling. I have to tell our guys what's going on. I've been feeling great lately. It's to the point now that I'm ready to go."
To make room for Crawford on the roster, the Hawks assigned Luke Johnson to Rockford. Quenneville said they might carry three goalies through the weekend. At that point, they will likely place Anton Forsberg on waivers and, if he clears, assign him to Rockford.
Crawford, who has been dealing with a concussion since last December, will face an Arizona team that has just 3 goals in five games and none at even strength (2 came on the power play, the other short-handed). He's not worried about taking a blow to the head.
"If I'm feeling good and I'm back to no normal, there's no worries about that," Crawford said. "That's the whole point of clearing you to play."
Former Hawks goalie Antti Raanta - a friend of Crawford's - is the Coyotes' goalie. He said "timing and tracking the puck" are the hardest things to get used to after a long layoff.
"It's never easy to come back after such a long time," Raanta said. "But if you just do your basic stuff and focus on one shot at a time, I think he'll be fine."
Raanta played 39 games for the Blackhawks from 2013 to 2015 and learned plenty from Crawford.
"Obviously, he was a big part for my development," Raanta said. "You learn so much from him and how he handles different things.
"He's still too underrated. The people (don't) appreciate what he has done - at least some of the people. In the (Hawks') organization, they know how important he is. He's one of the top goalies in the league. It's going to be great to see him back."
Saad in
Joel Quenneville said Brandon Saad, who wore a white jersey at the last two practices, will play against Arizona.