5 Reasons We Will Always Love Corey Crawford

Crawford gave us one last great moment in the 2020 playoffs.

The pandemic shortened the 2019-20 regular season. The NHL decided to have an expanded playoffs later in the year and that allowed the Hawks to get into the qualifying round as the 12th-seed.

Crawford may have had a save percentage under .900 in that round, but he made enough saves to help the Hawks pull off the stunning upset over the Edmonton Oilers to advance to the first round.

The Hawks were overmatched against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, but Crawford did everything he could to keep Chicago in the series. He was outstanding in Game 4 where he gave up just one goal to stave off elimination. Although, the Knights eliminated the Hawks in Game 5.

That was it for Crawford's career with the Hawks as the team decided not to re-sign him in the offseason. He signed with the New Jersey Devils but surprisingly retired without ever playing a game for them.

Crawford gave us everything.

One reason Crawford has not been in the public eye much is he is still dealing with the aches and pains of his career. He told the Athletic's Scott Powers that his back is messed up to the point he will need surgery.

He was always willing to do whatever it took to get on the ice. He may not have been the most talented, but he gave this city everything he had. We got some great moments of joy in part of what he did in goal.

Yes, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, and Duncan Keith were bigger stars and are sure-fire Hall of Famers. They needed a goalie to play great enough to win two more cups and that was what Corey Crawford did.