Dec. 04--Of all the teams in town likely to hurt themselves by skipping a step on the way to a championship, the Blackhawks would be at the bottom of the list.
Yet there the Hawks were Wednesday night at the United Center, in front of a home crowd for the first time 17 days, beating the Blues 4-1 without goalie Corey Crawford after he tripped on some stairs Monday night at a concert.
Despite the rousing victory, Crawford in a walking boot complicates matters more than the time he put his foot in his mouth on a Grant Park stage in June 2013. That was funny. But nobody at 1901 W. Madison was laughing after an off-ice injury left the Hawks without their No. 1 goalie for up to three weeks.
If the Hawks considered Crawford's mishap the type of accident that could have happened to anybody, wouldn't coach Joel Quenneville have been the lone voice heard? Chances are the team's public explanation would have been limited to the words "lower-body injury." That's how the Hawks, like most NHL teams, typically describe sprains and strains and twists and breaks. Medically speaking, they routinely stay as vague as the puck is cold and would rather talk about their feelings than injuries.
Instead, the Hawks compelled Crawford to face reporters to share the tale, leaving his face almost as red as his No. 50 sweater. There was no hiding Crawford in the training room or sneaking him out the back door hidden from the cameras and microphones. A team with championship standards that preaches accountability decided to practice it with one of its stars. How refreshing that the Hawks concluded Crawford had some explaining to do.
"I was at a concert the other day and was on the way out and missed a step," Crawford said. "I didn't think it was that bad. I got up the next day and it was worse than I thought. I'm pretty embarrassed about it, frustrated."
This is how a professional team sends a message about the professionalism it expects without a coach or executive saying a word. This is how a franchise gets in front of a story in today's 24/7 social-media age, by having the player involved tell his version, even if it raises more questions. This is part of what helps make the Blackhawks an organization others in the NHL, and our city, envy.
Reports claimed Crawford went to the House of Blues to see Rise Against, which sounds like a band full of Canucks and Predators formed to induce Blackhawks injuries. Asked if alcohol was involved in the injury to his left foot -- a natural question and assumption -- Crawford guarded information like he was defending the blue paint. That was telling.
"I'm not going to talk about the details," Crawford said. "I just want to get better, man."
That's the worst thing about the timing of Crawford's ill-fated night on the town: It would be hard to find a stretch in his career when the Hawks goalie has played any better. He had started 14 straight games and was 12-5-1 on the season with a 1.87 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. He was the impenetrable Corey Crawford.
Through one quarter of the season, in fact, no aspect of the Hawks' game has been stronger than their goaltending. Goalie coach Jimmy Waite is the assistant with the smile from blue line-to-blue line.
Antti Raanta took advantage of his first Crawford-less opportunity by winning his first game since Oct. 21 and shaking off a rusty start against the rival Blues, "the new Vancouver Canucks," according to Jonathan Toews. Raanta's enthusiasm -- and inexperience -- showed during one second-period sequence that found him chasing a puck at the blue line. He persevered.
But then Raanta must perform well with Scott Darling looming large on the bench -- very large. Darling, an intriguing 6-foot-6, 232-pound wall, earned Quenneville's trust by winning two of three starts during his October call-up. He gives Coach Q another potential answer.
The Hawks continue to find them, no matter who's missing. They went 8-3 without forward Patrick Sharp, who likely returns Friday from a lower-body injury that didn't require first-person elaboration. How an All-Star like Sharp fits on a Stanley Cup-caliber team successfully rolling all four lines represents the pleasant problems that often confront Quenneville.
"We like tough decisions," Quenneville said afterward.
Remember when fans would have applauded sitting Kris Versteeg? Not now with Versteeg, the Hawks' hottest player, victimizing opponents on a sizzling second line that includes vintage Patrick Kane and a revived Brad Richards. Richards recalibrated his game to Western Conference speed after a slow start.
Suddenly, The Great Scoring Drought of November seems more like a year ago than a month. The Blackhawks look poised to make as strong of a statement to the rest of the West as they did on and off the ice Wednesday.
Provided they watch their step.
dhaugh@tribpub.com
Twitter @DavidHaugh
