The 2010-2011 Chicago Blackhawks Roster: Goalies

This year is going to be quite different for the Chicago Blackhawks in terms of which goalies will fill their roster.  Gone are Antti Niemi and Christobal Huet.  In are Marty Turco and Corey Crawford.

Turco was brought in as a replacement for Niemi, who was let go after both he and the Blackhawks failed to reach an agreement on salary.  Turco is the Blackhawks starting center to start the season, and brings a lot of good things to the Hawks.  

In his first start with the Blackhawks, Turco had 37 saves (with 41 shots on goal), which is a good start for a guy who has to replace a Stanley-Cup-winning goalie.  However, in subsequent games so far this season, Turco has struggled.  Will he be able to become the kind of goalie that the Blackhawks hoped that he would be when they signed him this off-season?

In taking a closer look at Turco, we realize that he is one of the more athletic goalies to play the game.  He is fully capable of coming up with some great saves, and gets good movement in the net.  He is also creative in the net, and is, at times, exciting to watch.

There have been occasions where Turco will not play well for a few games because he loses focus and allows easy goals to pass him by.  His diminutive stature also allows the occasional high shot to come into the net.

Turco does have several honors and awards to his credit, including being named an NHL Second-Team All-Star and winner of the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, as well as being named a member of the NHL All-Star team in three seasons.

As of this writing, the Blackhawks were moving their net-minders in and out as starters in order to find the right mix at the position.  Turco was thought to be the better player, but perhaps he’s not working as well against some of the teams that the Hawks have played so far.  Perhaps they will continue to move both Turco and Corey Crawford in and out of the net until they find the right combination for the team.

Crawford came to the Blackhawks from Rockford (in the AHL) and has already had an opportunity to show his value as a starter at the goalie position during this young season.  You can bet that both Crawford and Turco will share the net often until a regular and solid starter can be found.

The strengths that Crawford brings to the Blackhawks includes the size that most teams would like to see at the position.  He also plays aggressively, and is intelligent for the position.  What he lacks is the ability to be consistent for long periods of time.  Crawford will have streaks where he is playing very well, and then he will go into a slump.  Consistency is definitely an issue here.  

There are also instances where Crawford tires out as the game goes on. He needs to work on staying in shape for the long arduous games that a goalie has to play.  When he breaks down, so does his awareness and net-minding skills, and eventually he lets the opposing team score, and his team ends up losing the game.

Crawford hasn’t collected a lot of honors or awards yet in his career, but he has been named the OMJHL Telus Defensive Player, as well as being nominated to the OMJHL All-Star second team.  

The Blackhawks will keep trying to find the right starter for them at the goalie position as the season moves ahead.  Right now, there is no clear-cut full-time starter in the net for the Blackhawks, and they have to find some stability soon or their season may be in jeopardy.