Crawford to rejoin Chicago Blackhawks' staff on Jan. 2
After a two-week investigation of alleged abusive behavior by Marc Crawford, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Monday that they will retain their assistant coach.
He will remain suspended from team activities until Jan. 2.
The Hawks said in a statement that the review on Crawford was conducted by an independent legal counsel.
"We do not condone his previous behavior," the statement read. "Through our review, we confirmed that Marc proactively sought professional counseling (beginning in 2010) to work to improve and become a better communicator, person and coach.
"We believe that Marc has learned from his past actions and has committed to striving to reform himself and evolve personally and professionally over the last decade."
Crawford was accused by former players Sean Avery, Brent Sopel, Harold Druken and Patrick O'Sullivan of physical and verbal abuse.
Avery, who was kicked on his rear during a game in 2006, later admitted he "deserved" the punishment after taking a penalty for too many men on the ice. Sopel also softened his stance in a statement on Twitter, saying he "told those stories as a former NHL defenceman, and not as a victim."
Crawford has 556 victories as a head coach in the NHL for six different organizations. He was an assistant in Ottawa from 2016-19 and spent the final 18 games of last season as the Senators' interim head coach.
He was then was hired by the Hawks in the off-season.
In a statement released through the Hawks, Crawford addressed the four players by saying he is "deeply sorry for hurting them. I offer my sincere apologies for my past behavior.
"I got into coaching to help people, and to think that my actions in any way caused harm to even one player fills me with tremendous regret and disappointment in myself.
"I used unacceptable language and conduct toward players in hopes of motivating them, and, sometimes went too far. As I deeply regret this behavior, I have worked hard over the last decade to improve both myself and my coaching style."
Crawford's fiery style could be seen at times this season during training camp and practices, but Brandon Saad, Connor Murphy, Robin Lehner, Jonathan Toews and Zack Smith all spoke glowingly of their assistant.
"He brings some intensity on the bench and I think he's been really good at calculating when the right time is to bring that intensity," Toews said in Las Vegas last Tuesday. "He's been a good addition to our coaching staff."
Smith, who came to the Hawks in a trade last off-season, spent the previous three seasons with Crawford in Ottawa and called him "a great coach." Smith also said he never saw anything close to behavior that went over the line and that he was having a hard time with ex-players taking to social media to make accusations of events that happened 10-20 years ago.
"I can understand there needs to be a change in culture, (especially) with (former Rockford IceHogs coach) Bill Peters with the racially charged comments," Smith said earlier this month. "Obviously - 100 percent. And physical abuse. I'm also not saying coaches are exempt from verbal abuse. I'm not saying you can degrade people.
"But I think guys are overreacting a bit in terms of some stories that have come out because Crow's a good person. He's always meant well. He's not malicious. He just cares a lot, so you don't want to see anything happen to him.
"Hopefully it gets sorted out and he's back out here coaching sooner rather than later."
That, indeed, is what will happen, which also figures to make Toews happy.
"It's hard to think of people that have given their life to the game and sacrificed a lot to get everything taken away for mistakes they made a long time ago," the Hawks' captain said. "A lot of things are coming out of the woodwork.
"There's no doubt there should be discipline in certain cases, but we've got to reasonable to a certain degree as well."
Statement from Marc Crawford
Thank you for the opportunity to share my comments. It was important for me to respect the process required by the Chicago Blackhawks and the ongoing, important discussions being had by players and the National Hockey League. This is why I am sharing my thoughts at this time.
Recently, allegations have resurfaced about my conduct earlier in my coaching career. Players like Sean Avery, Harold Druken, Patrick O'Sullivan and Brent Sopel have had the strength to publicly come forward and I am deeply sorry for hurting them. I offer my sincere apologies for my past behavior.
I got into coaching to help people, and to think that my actions in any way caused harm to even one player fills me with tremendous regret and disappointment in myself. I used unacceptable language and conduct toward players in hopes of motivating them, and, sometimes went too far. As I deeply regret this behavior, I have worked hard over the last decade to improve both myself and my coaching style.
I have made sincere efforts to address my inappropriate conduct with the individuals involved as well as the team at large. I have regularly engaged in counseling over the last decade where I have faced how traumatic my behavior was towards others. I learned new ways of expressing and managing my emotions. I take full responsibility for my actions. Moving forward, I will continue to improve myself, to listen to those that I may have hurt, and learn from their experiences. My goal is to approach all players, past and present, with empathy and understanding. My hope, as a coach and a person, is to create environments of dignity and respect.
I sincerely want to help make our game better for everyone. I want to encourage anyone who may have been impacted by me to reach out so that we may continue this dialogue. There is an important discussion happening in hockey right now. I am and will continue to be a part of the solution moving forward. These conversations will set the course for future generations. I commit to being sensitive to the process, and most of all, listening to individual perspectives and feelings.