• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Assistant Coach Marc Crawford Returns After Suspension

By The Canadian Press January 2nd, 2020

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

VANCOUVER — Assistant coach Marc Crawford says he gained some perspective after a month away from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Crawford was at the Blackhawks morning skate on Thursday ahead of the game between Chicago and the Vancouver Canucks, who he coached from 1998 to 2006.

He returned to his coaching duties after being suspended by Chicago following an investigation into his behaviour in previous jobs.

“For the last month, not doing what I normally am used to doing over the last 30-odd years, it served a lot of different purposes,” Crawford said.

“On a personal level, it was great to be out with the guys today, they gave me a nice reception and they did it in the room as well. So that certainly was good and for me, it’s just I want the team to get to normal as quick as they possibly can.

Marc Crawford
Coach Marc Crawford. (THW Archives)

“That’s a big part of why I’m even speaking today is because we want to move forward. I think it’s really important for the Blackhawks to continue to focus on what’s really important right now for the Blackhawks, which is trying to make the playoffs.”

In mid December several former players publicly accused Crawford of physical and verbal abuse.

Crawford apologized to Sean Avery, Harold Druken, Patrick O’Sullivan and Brent Sopel on Dec. 16 in response to their allegations. In the same statement, Crawford said he had been seeking counselling since 2010 to address his actions and continues to undergo therapy.

Sean Avery
Sean Avery (Icon SMI)

Crawford, who has also coached the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, the Los Angeles Kings, the Dallas Stars and Ottawa Senators, said that after each job he lost he would reflect on what led to his dismissal. When he was fired by the Kings in 2008 he decided it was time to get professional help.

“I really thought that ‘hey, I’m not liking where my coaching is right now’ and I felt from that point forward that the game was changing and I needed to change along with it,” said Crawford.

“I don’t know whether it was the lockout or the salary cap coming in, if those things had to factor in how the game changed, but it definitely was a change in culture.

“I was evolving as a person and I think players were evolving as well, and so, if you want to stay in the game, you’ve always got to adjust and you’ve got to try and shape your methodology to fit the time and that was one of the main reasons for it.”

Marc Crawford
Marc Crawford (photo by/Wikipedia)

O’Sullivan criticized Crawford’s apology in a post on Twitter in mid-December, saying it wasn’t enough.

“Accountability doesn’t come in the form of a crafted statement by a lawyer hidden in a team release,” O’Sullivan wrote.

“Stand up and be accountable publicly to the media if it’s sincere. Time to move on for me though. Treat people with respect if you’re a coach and they will want to do more for you.”

Avery said Crawford kicked him after he was whistled for a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty when he played for the Los Angeles Kings during the 2006-07 season. Sopel said Crawford kicked him, choked him and grabbed the back of his jersey and pulled it back while with Vancouver.

When asked on Thursday if he had apologized to other players he’d coached, Crawford asked for privacy.

“I have reached out to many, many players, and I’ve heard from many players, but I’m going to leave it at that,” he said.

“This is an ongoing process and as I said in my statement, I’m all about making sure that I do the right thing and that I listened and that I understand, and I think that’s really what I hope comes from this — that I understand how anybody is feeling, how any of those players are feeling and in the end, if that happens, then I hopefully can become better for it, they become better for it and hopefully in the long run the game becomes better for it.”

The issues with Crawford emerged after Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters resigned following accusations he directed racial slurs at Akim Aliu, a Nigerian-born player with one of Chicago’s minor league teams a decade ago.

Others claimed that Peters kicked and punched players behind the bench during his recent time with Carolina.

Crawford, 58, is in his first season as an assistant on the Blackhawks staff. He has been a head coach for five different NHL organizations.

— With files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2020.

The Canadian Press

  • Tags
  • Marc Crawford
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 19th 7:42 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Wild Acquire Ian Cole From Avalanche for Greg Pateryn

Jan 19th 6:05 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Need to Be More Disciplined if They Want to Stay Hot

Jan 19th 5:50 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

9 Blue Jackets’ “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” Fun Facts

Jan 19th 5:40 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Babcock Bombs as Former Leafs Coach Tries to Clarify Marner Drama

Jan 19th 5:25 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Are 3-0, But Still Have Plenty of Work To Do

Jan 19th 5:15 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers News & Rumors: Essential Workers Night, DeAngelo, Trouba & More

Jan 19th 5:05 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Should Add Forward Oliver Okuliar to Prospect Pool

Jan 19th 4:55 PM
Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens: 3 Takeaways from Week 1

Jan 19th 4:45 PM
Hockey History

Top 3 Penguins Trades Under Jim Rutherford

Jan 19th 3:45 PM
St Louis Blues

Blues Weekly: Up and Down Start to the 2020-21 Campaign

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information