What an experience it has been for Chicago Blackhawks' Glass

It has been a heck of a ride for Jeff Glass.

And it's probably coming to an end this week.

With Corey Crawford very close to returning from an upper-body body injury, Glass — the Chicago Blackhawks' 32-year-old rookie goalie — will almost certainly be placed on waivers and reassigned to Rockford once he (likely) clears.

Glass, a native of Calgary, has been a breath of fresh air in the locker room for teammates and reporters alike. He's down to earth, easy to talk to, thoughtful, witty and almost always seems to be smiling.

And why not? After seven years in Russia, Glass' dream of playing in the NHL finally came true on Dec. 29 in Edmonton. All he did that night is make 42 saves in a 4-3 overtime victory.

With his possible departure on the horizon, I had a nice chat with Glass on how different his experience in the NHL has been compared to playing overseas.

Q: What was the media like in Russia? How much did you deal with that?

A: I didn't have a chance to voice my opinion over there because everything was done in Russian. So the media I did do, the interviews were always translated. Some of it can be very lost in translation. I even got burned a couple of times because things were taken out of context.

Q: What was the worst translation that went wrong?

A: I know which one got me in trouble. It was about the money. I said it was a rough time for players, and everything got taken out of context. It offended a lot of people, and I never meant to offend anybody … because I was very thankful to be over there.

And there were lots of times where you'd say things about your teammates like, ‘We need to work harder' and it would be translated into something that wasn't quite what I said. … That's what was hardest — trying to get my message across.

Q: Did you get a chance to apologize for those stories?

A: Yeah. I apologized several times. But once it's said, it's said. You know how that is. It's out there and people feel like you're backpedaling. I found that very tough.

Q: So what's it been like here? You've been interviewed by major publications and plenty of media back home in Calgary.

A: It's really cool to be able to tell your story. People have said nice things about me, and that's great, but they can really get to know what I'm all about and how I work and what I believe in. That's the coolest part for me.

When I was in Russia, I didn't really have a voice. It was go play hockey and you're the import that doesn't speak Russian.

Over here, I like to think I bring more to the locker room than just the goalie pads.

Q: One advantage of being back in the U.S. is being able to communicate with your goalie coach. How important has that been?

A: It's huge. Can't put a number on it, but it's huge. I had a great relationship with (Rockford's) Peter Aubry and I have a great relationship here with Jimmy Waite.

Every day you come to the rink and you've got confidence in your game and confidence that you're doing the right things. When things aren't going right, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and play a different way, he keeps reinforcing all the positives. I come to the rink feeling like I'm getting better.

If you don't have a good relationship with a goalie coach, you start to pick apart your own game, overthink it and things start to tailspin out of control.

Q: What can a bad coach do to mess things up?

A: A lot of guys play the game a certain way based on their athletic ability, their style, whatever. You've got to have an open forum with a goalie coach to be able to communicate and have honest conversations with them.

I've been able to do that with Jimmy and it's changed my game.

Q: Somebody will have to go to Rockford when Corey Crawford returns. Are you thinking about that — even a little bit?

A: I'm trying to do everything I can to help this team win. And wins help cement your position anywhere.

We're in a winning business, and that's the bottom line. Every time I get out there, that's my major focus. I'm trying to prove that I can help this team win on a nightly basis and be consistent in the net.

Q: How has this experience been for the last six weeks?

A: It's been awesome. It's been exciting. I mean obviously I'd like a few of the outcomes to be a little different. But that's hockey, too.

I've learned a lot. I feel like my game's gotten better and still has another gear, which is exciting and disappointing at the same time because I want to keep showing I can play at this level.

And not just play but excel.