Of the recent Stanley Cup-winning goaltenders, Corey Crawford may not inspire the most confidence.
Wedged between a pair of championships by the Los Angeles Kings’ Jonathan Quick, Crawford won a title of his own in 2013. Before that, it was Tim Thomas backstopping the Boston Bruins.
Crawford’s reputation, whether earned or not, is more like that of the previous Chicago Blackhawks goalie who tended the twine during a championship run in 2010—Antti Niemi.
Niemi had a .910 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average that spring. More importantly, though, he had 16 wins versus six losses.
Crawford’s numbers this spring are only slightly better than those. He has a .918 save percentage and a 2.50 GAA. He’s got 11 wins.
Now he needs just two more to raise his second Cup in three years.
That’s the thing about Blackhawks goaltenders when the team’s stars are playing well: They don’t have to be Superman. Clark Kent will do just fine.
In fact, for goalies who've played at least four games in the playoffs this year, Crawford's ...
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Article written by Steve Macfarlane
Chicago Blackhawks Don’t Need Superman Effort Out of Corey Crawford to Win Cup
June 11th, 2015 by Steve Macfarlane Leave a reply »
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