Crawford leaves the game after smashing his head on the post.

Very scary for the Blackhawks.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Crawford leaves the game after smashing his head on the post.
Mike Wulf/CSM/Zuma

The Chicago Blackhawks fan base is collectively holding their breath at this moment.

On Sunday night the Blackhawks were facing off against the San Jose Sharks at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois and although the game provided the fans in attendance with an action packed first period it also provided them with an absolute panic attack. That's because during the game's very first period Blackhawks' star goaltender Corey Crawford appeared to suffer an injury to his head, something that fans in Chicago will know raises some major alarm bells when it comes to Crawford. 

The Sharks were charging the net on a scoring chance and although Crawford managed to shut the door successfully he was then absolutely run over by his own teammate, Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome. It was a major fail from Strome and it's also probably the worst possible way you could attempt to build a reputation in a new market that has nothing but love and admiration for Crawford. As Strome collided with the Blackhawks netminder he drove his body back into the net and down towards the ice, and the angle of that caused the back of Crawford's head to ring off the goal post, causing Crawford to immediately put his hands up to shield himself. 

As fans in Chicago will know Crawford missed 10 months of action recently due to a severe concussion that he suffered in the previous season and it was no surprise to see Crawford come immediately off the ice this time around. I believe that all of the parties involved including Crawford himself, the Chicago Blackhawks organization and the National Hockey League all have a vested interest in making sure every precaution is taken when it comes to Crawford's history of head injuries and his long term health in that regard as well.

I assume that following his exit from the game that Crawford was immediately placed in the National Hockey League's concussion protocol and hopefully this will turn out to be nothing and he's going to be alright. That being said I would much rather they play it safe with his long term health and keep him out if there is even so much as a hint of a problem here.

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