Blackhawks: Corey Crawford Achieves Elite Milestone With Game 3 Win

The Chicago Blackhawks won Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Qualifiers and with that victory came an added accomplishment for Corey Crawford to add to his resume.

After sneaking into this post-season as the 12th place seed out of the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks weren’t being labeled as favourites. Any further success earned should be seen as a bonus for the franchise.

However, they’ve held their own thus far against the Edmonton Oilers, as they battle through their play-in series to see who will make it into the next round. With a Game 3 victory, Chicago now leads the best of-5 series 2-1.

One more and they’re past the qualifiers and into the 16-team Stanley Cup tournament.

It’s not just this most recent win and what it could mean for the Blackhawks that should be the headline. Alongside captain Jonathan Toews making history of his own, Corey Crawford also hit a major milestone.

Crawford joined an elite group of NHL goaltenders with at least 50 playoff wins. In fact, he’s now part of a club that currently only has 20 members who have earned the right to be included.

With Patrick Roy (151 wins), Martin Brodeur (113 wins), and Grant Fuhr (92 wins) atop that list, Crawford has elevated his career accomplishments to an even higher regard than they already were.

Having overtaken the number one spot as the all-time leader in playoff wins for the Blackhawks a couple of post-seasons ago, with every victory Crawford continues to separate himself further from the pack.

It’s quite a group to be leading, with notable Chicago legends Tony Esposito (45 wins) and Ed Belfour (35 wins) sitting in second and third respectively. Where Crawford also leapfrogs the rest is with his two Stanley Cups along the way.

Time will tell how far the Blackhawks can take this push towards another Cup run. However, seeing what some on the current roster add to their accomplishments certainly highlights the type of success they’ve already brought this organization.

Although it’s uncertain what comes next for Corey Crawford’s career and how much longer he’ll be between the pipes for the Chicago Blackhawks, there’s no denying the impact he’s already had with what the franchise has been able to achieve with him in their crease.