Blackhawks
Crawford's 2nd All-Star selection still feels ‘special'
Joel Quenneville gathered the Blackhawks in a circle near the end of Tuesday's morning skate at the United Center and informed the team which players had been selected for the 2017 NHL All-Star Game.
After the coach revealed Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford will be participants in the exhibition Jan. 29 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, teammates tapped their sticks on the ice in a display of appreciation.
For Kane, Toews and Keith, being named All-Stars has become standard with a combined 14 selections. For Crawford, the second time around is still a big deal.
“It's special — it's nice to be recognized,” Crawford said. “It's a hard thing to accomplish so I'm excited about it. It's going to be in a cool spot, too, in LA.”
If helping the Hawks to Stanley Cup championships in 2013 and '15 already hadn't cemented the 32-year-old Crawford as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, a second All-Star selection should do it.
Still, if any naysayers remain when it comes to Crawford's abilities, he doesn't much care to hear from them.
“People can argue one way and others can argue another — that's just chatter,” said Crawford, who was voted by fans into the 2015 All-Star Game in Columbus. “I just play hard and if you have the respect of your teammates and if your fans are on your side that's all that matters.”
The respect has grown with each save Crawford has made since being anointed as the Hawks' No. 1 goalie to start the 2010-11 season. After posting a career-high 35 victories and .924 save percentage last season, Crawford is 16-8-3 with a .925 save percentage this campaign despite missing three weeks after an appendectomy. The strong first half of the season came after Crawford worked his way into being the primary backup goalie to Carey Price at the World Cup of Hockey that Team Canada won just before the season.
“I give (Crawford) credit that he continues to get better,” Quenneville said. “Goalies … as their career goes on, there's still a lot of maturing and developing.
“I find ‘Crow' getting better each and every year. As seasons progress, he seems to improve and he's a good student of the game. He wants the net, he finds pucks, he does everything you want. I can't say enough good things about his progression, but we know the importance of goaltending.”
Crawford believes he has reached another level of play this season but keeps the focus on winning.
“Experience plays a key part,” Crawford said. “There's always more. We always want more. It's always about winning.”
After being snubbed in favor of Pekka Rinne of the host Predators for the 2016 All-Star Game despite having far superior numbers, Crawford is embracing this latest selection, especially because he is sharing it with Toews, Kane and Keith.
“It's pretty cool to have four guys there,” Crawford said. “That's awesome.”
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