Antii Niemi was a nobody at the beginning of last year. Nobody had heard of the Finnish goalie when he made his NHL debut in his home country in October of 2009.
By the time June rolled around, he was a Stanley Cup winning goalie and had become a fan favorite in Chicago and a household name. Shortly afterwards, as it is well documented, the Blackhawks were unable to sign him for the amount that he had commanded in arbitration and Niemi signed with the San Jose Sharks for less money.
The Blackhawks then turned to the Dallas Stars' former standout goalie, Marty Turco.
After Turco and the entire Chicago Blackhawks team got off to a slow start, highly regarded prospect and rookie goalie Corey Crawford, got his shot to take over the crease.
And he's proved that the AHL days of playing Rockford are all but over.
In his last 15 games, Crawford boasts an 11-3-1 record and is getting the nod against the Dallas Stars tonight.
During an earlier streak this year, Crawford came close to tying a rookie franchise record of most consecutive wins. His streak ended at eight wins in a row.
...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Andy Miller
History Repeats Itself: Blackhawks Rookie Goalie Wrestles Away Starting Position
January 5th, 2011 by Andy Miller Leave a reply »
Advertisement