Jul 14, 2008 | By Ben Chaisson | Players Articles Archive
Corey Crawford (born 31 December 1984 in Châteauguay, Quebec) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender, who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks. The team selected Crawford with the fifty-second overall pick of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He played with the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks' American Hockey League, affiliate prior to playing in the National Hockey League.
Crawford spent his pre-junior career playing for the Midget AAA Gatineau Entrepides.
Crawford spent his junior career with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Crawford was the goaltender for the Wildcats in the 2003-04 QMJHL playoffs, when they ousted Rimouski Océanic along with Sidney Crosby in the first round. They went on to the President's Cup final, but lost the series to the Gatineau Olympiques. Crawford currently holds the Wildcats record for Best Goals Against Average (2.47 in 2004-05), Most Wins (35 in 2003-04), and is tied with Simon Lajeunesse for Most Shutouts in a season (6 in 2004-05). He was twice named to the QMJHL's second All-Star team (2003-04, 2004-05).
Crawford made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks on 22 January 2006 against the Minnesota Wild. He relieved Adam Munro in the third period, made seven saves and did not allow any goals. He had his first career start against the St. Louis Blues on February 2, 2006. He finished the evening with a record of five goals allowed and twenty-nine saves in a 6-5 shootout loss. Crawford is currently backing up Patrick Lalime in the NHL. He recorded his first career win and shut-out against the Anaheim Ducks on March 5, 2008
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