Maybe it's because I grew up at the tail end of the Tony Esposito era, which eventually ushered in the era of another legendary and charismatic Hawks goalie named Ed Belfour.
Both Esposito, who won 423 games in his storied career, and Belfour, who tallied 484 victories, are Hall of Famers. As is former Blackhawk Glenn Hall, who racked up 407 career wins.
Esposito's #35 hangs in the rafters of the United Center. So does Hall's #1. Neither number will ever be worn again by a Hawks player. Belfour's #30 does not, however, but that's another soapbox for me to tackle some other day.
The point being, the bar is set pretty high in this city when it comes to honoring our beloved backstops. So I decided to take a much closer look at how Crawford, at age 33, compares to some of these legends.
What I discovered during my journey shocked me.
For starters, there have been 81 goalies to ever wear the Indian Head sweater in this city, which I capitalize out of respect. Any current or former player who has ever put on a Hawks jersey will tell you, you do so with a tremendous amount of pride and responsibility.
Let's start with the statistic that, in my mind, matters most. Save percentage. Out of those 81 goalies, Crawford, who has appeared in 392 games, has the second-highest save percentage while wearing a Hawks sweater, at 91.9 percent. Chris Clifford (2 games), Sebastien Caron (1 game) and Ray LeBlanc (1 game) do not count, for obvious reasons.
Only Scott Darling, who played 75 games here, had a higher save percentage at .923.
Esposito (.859) ranks 39th. Hall's save percentage is not listed, due in part to the era he played in. And Belfour (.903) is 13th in team history.
Let's move to goals against average, known as the average number of goals a netminder allows per game.
Esposito's GAA while here was 2.93. Hall's was 2.60. Belfour checks in at 2.65 during his time in Chicago. Crawford, meanwhile, has a 2.36 career GAA.
Wins, you ask? Esposito checks in with 418 career victories in a Hawks uniform, specifically, which is most in team history. He played until age 40. Glenn Hall posted 275 wins here, and played until he was 39. Crawford, at age 33, is already third in team history, with 220 wins. Belfour, meanwhile, won 201 games while in Chicago, before playing for San Jose, Dallas and Toronto.
Esposito won the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best goaltender, three times. As did Hall. Belfour, meanwhile, was given this honor twice.
Charlie Gardiner, the only other Hawks goalie to win the Vezina, did so twice as well --- in 1931-32, and 1933-34 --- but only posted a 112-152-52 career record.
In 15 seasons in Chicago, Esposito tallied 30-plus wins eight times. But it took him 15 seasons. Belfour posted 30-plus wins just three times in Chicago, and nine times total --- but it took him 18 years to do so.
Hall posted 30-plus victories just six times in 18 seasons.
Crawford, shockingly, has never finished better than fifth in the Vezina voting, despite posting 30-plus wins six times already in just seven full seasons (and parts of 10 total, not including this year).
Are your eyes open yet? Mine are.
When I was a child, my first experience at an NHL hockey game was going to the Old Chicago Stadium, A.K.A. the original 'Madhouse on Madison,' And boy, was it an absolute doozie.
April 20, 1983. Game 5 of the Norris Divison Finals between the Hawks and their rival, the Minnesota North Stars. Standing room only. My father pulled me out of my first grade class that day, told me we were going to a dentist appointment to appease my principal, and whisked me away with his friend into the back of a van and took me to this game, instead.
He gave me earplugs during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by soloist Wayne Messmer. Much as it does today during Jim Cornelison's rendition, the rafters shook. Sound had feel in a way no 6-year old child ever expects to experience in their entire lifetime. I remember it clear as day.
I was scared shitless. Dad ... well he just smiled, put his arm around me, and the moment changed my life forever. The Hawks and North Stars hated each other so much, they probably would've gone out in the alley and beat each other senseless, then gouged each other's eyeballs out, if they could have.
It was nastier than any Bulls-Pistons rivalry. It was filled with more hate than even the dirtiest Bears-Packers game.
The Hawks went on to win that day, 5-2, and took the series, four games to one. In goal that day was a 39-year-old Esposito, in the twilight of his career. He stopped 37 of the 39 shots he faced. Chants of "To-ny-0, To-ny-0, To-ny-0," ripped through the Stadium with thunderous approval.
If there's a better Chicago hockey baptism story out there, I'd love to hear it. Every day for the next week, daily, against his better judgement I'm guessing, my dad let me wear my red iron-on Hawks T-shirt we bought at the game. The sport consumed me and my thoughts the rest of my childhood.
And when Belfour played here in the 1990s, I can't forget the chants of "Ed-die, Ed-die, Ed-die," tearing through the rafters of the Old Barn, and later, the United Center. He was feisty, too, leading the league in penalty minutes by goalies for several seasons.
It makes me wonder.
Why is Crawford rarely treated with the same respect, and the same passion by fans? Is it how quiet he is? Is it because he goes about his business rarely showing emotion? Or is it because Esposito posted a ridiculous 74 shutouts as a Blackhawk, Belfour tallied 30 while here, and Hall had 51 of them in a Chicago jersey --- while Crawford has just 23?
Crawford has won a pair of Stanley Cups (you know, the reason they play in the first place) here, something Esposito or Belfour never did while in Chicago, while Hall did just once.
This season, Crow looks better than I've ever seen him. He's square to shooters. He's not overplaying pucks. He's moving post-to-post with near perfection. He's aggressive and beyond confident. His 7-4-0 record, 1.75 GAA and ridiculous .945 save percentage is the main reason the Hawks have a winning record. He's posted back to back shutouts for the first time since late 2015.
Then, there's this.
In the playoffs, specifically, Esposito is 45-53 in his career as a Blackhawk, with a 3.07 GAA if you include all teams he played for. Hall was 31-38 while here, and has a 2.78 career GAA in the postseason. Belfour fares better, at 35-28 in the playoffs in a Hawks' sweater, and his 2.17 postseason GAA and .920 save percentage are outstanding.
The thing is, Crawford has more playoff wins while in Chicago, specifically, than all three of them. His 48-37 postseason mark, 2.29 GAA and .917 save percentage hold water against all three Hawks' legends.
Maybe --- just maybe --- we take Crawford for granted in a way no franchise's fan base ever should. Clearly, we are witnessing a goaltender in his prime, one who will still remain a factor for years to come.
Whether it's on social media, inside the United Center, or elsewhere, the venom some fans spit Crow's way runs rampant. I've openly been critical of him at times, but my criticisms came from more of a nitpicking standpoint, and minor fundamental details I saw.
But there's a larger base of fans that genuinely dislikes like Crawford, or even wants him traded.
To those fans, I say be careful what you wish for. In the two hours or so I studied the history of this franchise's netminders, I learned more than I ever could have imagined about how rare a breed Crawford truly is. He's lightning in a bottle. He's a once in a generation shooting star in this sport. His consistency, shutouts or not, masks his lack of flashiness, crazy soundbites, or other quirks that seem to accompany other NHL goalies.
After all, you have to be a little goofy to take pucks to the body and face for a living, right? But Crow is none of those things. He's the lunchpail 9 to 5 guy who shows up at work, does his job, and damn it, he succeeds, no matter what anyone thinks of him.
And when all is said and done, if he plays long enough, he may wind up being the best goalie to ever wear a Blackhawks jersey, whether you like it or not.
My hope, personally, is fans start letting him know they feel the same way a little bit more often during games here at home, with echoes of "Cor-ey, Co-rey" filling the air.
While we still can.
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