April 26--Long after Scott Darling had left the ice at Saturday's morning skate, Corey Crawford continued to face shots from Blackhawks teammates.
That is the role of a backup goaltender, the situation in which Crawford finds himself. The veteran admits it hasn't been the easiest transition.
"I was a little pissed off at first," Crawford said before the Hawks faced the Predators in Game 6 at the United Center. "That's only natural. That's a good thing too. It shows I want to be in the net, but not to a point where it's causing any sort of negativity in the room or anything like that.
"I'm still positive around the guys, and nothing has changed in this room. We're still the group we were before, no matter who is in the game and who's not."
Coach Joel Quenneville has admired the way Crawford hasn't rocked the boat after yielding the net to Darling after the first period of Game 1 and then again after allowing six goals in Game 2. Those outings left Crawford with a 6.75 goals-against average and .809 save percentage in the first-round playoff series.
"Corey's a good guy, a good teammate (and) he's a good pro," Quenneville said. "The goaltenders ... have a good relationship and a good rapport. I'm sure (Crawford) wants to play in the worst way, and I think he's doing everything he can to prepare himself when he gets the net."
Crawford said his ability to deal with the circumstances is easier having been in the league five full seasons.
"I'm a little more mature and experienced," Crawford, 30, said. "It's still tough. I want to play, but our guys are doing well. We're winning. Scott is doing well. I just have to work hard in practice and wait for the call."
If and when Crawford does return to the net, it will have been after an extended absence. He hasn't appeared in a game since April 17.
"You try and get the timing as much as I can in practice and feed off that and stay positive and try to take my hard work and all the things I do in practice to bring into the game," he said. "Right now, that's pretty much that for me."
