The last time the Blackhawks traveled to Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, in order, was late last December. Christmas had just passed, the team’s previous game coming two nights before the holiday in New Jersey.
“Last December in New Jersey.” Surely, most Hawks fans know what those words represent by now.
That Dec. 23 game against the Devils would be Corey Crawford’s last in goal for nearly 10 months, a concussion and its unrelenting aftereffects driving him from the ice for far longer than anyone would’ve predicted.
The Hawks are off to Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary again, starting with the game Wednesday against the Canucks, and the symbolism of the moment — Crawford is finally back, and playing well — could not be more apparent. Unless you’re Crawford, that is, in which case you simply roll your eyes and ask, essentially: So what?
“Is there a point?” he said after practice Tuesday at MB Ice Arena. “It’s done. It’s over. It’s almost a year ago. It’s way, way past now, and I don’t really care, to be honest.”
So there you have it: Crawford is done with the whole concussion topic. Five games into his comeback, he’s more than ready to leave that particular darkness in the rearview mirror forever.
“Yeah, we’re over that,” he said. “Let’s move on.”
Let’s do that . . . after one more look back at last season. The Hawks were 17-12-5 when Crawford left the ice after the first period that night in New Jersey. They lost that game and were hammered 5-2 in the next one in Vancouver, and it was only a matter of time before they were under .500 en route to a last-place finish.
The Canucks weren’t the only opponent that beat up on the Hawks, but they swept the three-game season series by a combined score of 14-6.
“We didn’t play well against them; they played well against us,” coach Joel Quenneville said.
That first matchup in Rogers Arena was the beginning of a stretch for the Hawks that could’ve gone any which way. No one knew for sure what would happen.
“It was a good test for us to find out how we’d respond with Crow out of the lineup,” Quenneville said. “And I think we proved over the course of the season that we didn’t do a good job of it.”
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Have we mentioned that the Hawks were 0-3 against the Flames, too, last season? They’re also coming off a loss in overtime to the Oilers on Sunday at the United Center. It’s much too dramatic to say this road trip is about exacting revenge, but it could be looked at as something of a measuring stick.
And the best thing about that is Crawford gets to be a part of it. After giving up a lone goal in three consecutive outings, Crawford surrendered six in St. Louis his last time out. That pumped up his goals-against average to 2.44, but who’s counting?
He’s done with concussion talk. Stats talk can take a hike, too.
“Is that really the whole point of playing the game? You know what I mean?” he said.
“We’re trying to win hockey games. For us — for me — all that matters is winning the Cup.”
NOTES: Penalties have been a problem for Marcus Kruger, who has 14 minutes’ worth already, leading coach Joel Quenneville to consider scratching him from the Vancouver game. Kruger didn’t skate with any of the top four lines during practice Tuesday.
† The Hawks agreed to terms with 20-year-old forward Brandon Hagel on a three-year entry-level contract. Hagel will continue to play for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.
