Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford cleared the last hurdle to get back on the ice.
The Hawks activated Corey Crawford on Monday after he spent the last two months on injured reserve with a concussion. In a corresponding move, they re-assigned Collin Delia to Rockford, making him eligible for the Calder Cup playoffs.
Crawford suffered a concussion on a collision at the net in December and missed 28 games. He trained and did individual work while recovering and returned to full practice earlier this month.
Crawford has said he was back to normal and wanted to play as soon as possible. But general manager Stan Bowman said the Hawks didn’t want to rush him back especially after he missed 47 games last season with a concussion.
“You want every player to avoid injury, not just Corey, all of our guys. He’s certainly prepared himself well. He’s really worked at it. He’s taken his time,” Bowman said. “I know there’s a lot of, I guess, concern for him — not only from the media and the fans — but internally to make sure he’s on the right path and he’s ready to play.
“When you talk to him, which he’s excited, he wants to get back on the ice. I know he’s been pushing for us to get him back there even sooner, but you got to do things the right way and follow the protocols and listen to the doctors, and that’s how we got to this point.”
Bowman also said numerous times that Crawford is “tired of practicing” and eager to see game action. He’ll be eligible to play Wednesday against the Ducks, but it’s unclear if he’ll get the start over Cam Ward.
In 23 games before the concussion, Crawford was 6-14-2 with a .902 save percentage and 3.28 goals against average.
Delia was 6-4-3 with a 3.48 goals against average and .909 save percentage during his time with the Hawks this season. His work was good enough to earn himself a three-year contract extension, which he signed on Feb. 11.
Bowman said he feels comfortable with the idea of Delia being the Hawks’ No. 2 goalie next season.
“As normal progression for a young goalie, he’s had some ups and downs, but he’s had a lot more ups than downs,” Bowman said. “He certainly came out of the gate flying.
“The thing we like about Collin is just how much he’s a competitive guy and he’s shown the ability to grow his game even the short time he’s been a pro. He’s taken some big steps in a short amount of time.
Bowman also likes that Delia is a “student of the game.”
“If you talk to him, he wants to get better,” Bowman said. “He’s always trying to push himself to expand his game. I think the future’s bright for him, so we’re excited he’s part of it.”
