Corey Crawford seen as game changer for Chicago Blackhawks next season -NHL Update
Having a great goaltender performing to his maximum levels is always a need for a team looking towards winning the Stanley Cup, and for Chicago Blackhawks, it was a major reason why they took home the championship after 40 years of trying back in 2010.
Goalies changed and so did Chicago’s performance as they were routed in the opening round for the next two straight seasons and now are counting on Corey Crawford to take over the main position and get the team back to championship winning form.
"I saw [Crawford] at least a couple to three times already this summer and his attitude has been great," Chicago Blackhawks head coach, Joel Quenneville, told NHL.com. "I like his approach and we expect him to bounce back. He's welcoming the challenge."
Last National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, Crawford had a .903 save percentage and 2.72 goals-against average in 57 games played with 30 wins and 17 losses. It was definitely not a bad performance but he lacked the same momentum in the playoffs.
Up against Mike Smith and the Phoenix Coyotes, Chicago lost in six games as Crawford maintained a low .893 save percentage and 2.58 goals-against average. Another elimination in the opening round after 2011 Stanley Cup finalists, the Vancouver Canucks, routed
them in seven games.
The next season is going to be one majorly based on how their goaltender performs and Quenneville certainly has confidence in Corey Crawford. Roberto Luongo was also cited to be under the teams radar, but no official statements about acquiring him have been
made as of yet.
"We all know the importance of goaltending -- and we're going to need him to be solid, or even better than solid," Quenneville said. "He's quiet, but when you know his personality he's more upbeat and he felt sometimes (last season) that he'd have to be
great every night. That's part of the learning curve to being a consistent goalie as a No. 1."
Corey Crawford still has some months to go before performing in prime time hockey again, but continues to work hard to improve any remaining flaw in his game.
Tags: