One difference though...Bruins winning first two on the road, which rips the heart out of the Pens.
- ArlingtonRob

Very true

Boy its painful watching Pens right now. Is this what Hawks looked like vs Detroit....Yikes....

Boy its painful watching Pens right now. Is this what Hawks looked like vs Detroit....Yikes....
- TrueGrit

Amazing how Boston looks right now. Toronto had them on the ropes in game seven a couple of weeks ago...

So tell me what is the premise of an MVP in your eyes, cause Quick won it last year with 1.41ga and .946sv% and Crawford is at 1.67ga and .938sv% I'm not saying it will stay there or we will win it all but if we do and his numbers stay around this area he might!
- moots

Look, I am not looking to argue, I just think most of Crawford's stats reflect the team in front of him more than his skill, and for that reason alone he doesn't warrant MVP over, Sharp for example, in my opinion.

An MVP should be someone whose individual and exemplary contribution to the team made achievable the level of success they have. The hawks would almost assuredly be where they are now had it been Emery in the net. Sharps goals on the otherhand have made the difference.

Honestly guys, if anyone deserves the Conn Symthe it would be Sharp, NOT Crawford.

He brings 110% and powers the team on/off the ice. I mean c'mon he's only leading the NHL in playoff goals!

But you'd still piss in them?
- darkman

Boy its painful watching Pens right now. Is this what Hawks looked like vs Detroit....Yikes....
- TrueGrit

Like entitled bumholes? Yea, pretty much.

Look, I am not looking to argue, I just think most of Crawford's stats reflect the team in front of him more than his skill, and for that reason alone he doesn't warrant MVP over, Sharp for example, in my opinion.

An MVP should be someone whose individual and exemplary contribution to the team made achievable the level of success they have. The hawks would almost assuredly be where they are now had it been Emery in the net. Sharps goals on the otherhand have made the difference.
- fvineze

Sorry, but that statement invalidates your entire argument.

Look, I am not looking to argue, I just think most of Crawford's stats reflect the team in front of him more than his skill, and for that reason alone he doesn't warrant MVP over, Sharp for example, in my opinion.

An MVP should be someone whose individual and exemplary contribution to the team made achievable the level of success they have. The hawks would almost assuredly be where they are now had it been Emery in the net. Sharps goals on the otherhand have made the difference.
- fvineze

I would take Sharp as MVP to this point too but definitely think Keith and Crawford would be in the discussion.

What's your deal with Crawford? Besides the obvious dislike; people were talking about peeing in cheerios before. Did he pee in yours? I'm not going to say the guy is amazing or anything like that but am at least willing to give him his due. He has been very good in these playoffs and is a big part of the reason the Hawks are still playing.

If it's left over angst from last year's playoffs, let it go...

Like entitled bumholes? Yea, pretty much.
- teh_HAWKZ

I would love for the Pens to bounce back and get this to oT..... Sure doubt it though....

Look, I am not looking to argue, I just think most of Crawford's stats reflect the team in front of him more than his skill, and for that reason alone he doesn't warrant MVP over, Sharp for example, in my opinion.

An MVP should be someone whose individual and exemplary contribution to the team made achievable the level of success they have. The hawks would almost assuredly be where they are now had it been Emery in the net. Sharps goals on the otherhand have made the difference.
- fvineze

Well let's hope we can female dog about which Blackhawk they choose!

3rd most points since the lockout. Elite point production plus 200 foot game plus kills penalties plus 13 game point streak = Conn Smythe
- rollpards19

No doubt he is their leader and best all around player, but while he was amazing in the playoffs so were about 6 others. He has been the team's mvp for the most part, but to me not in the 2010 Cup run

Honestly guys, if anyone deserves the Conn Symthe it would be Sharp, NOT Crawford.

He brings 110% and powers the team on/off the ice. I mean c'mon he's only leading the NHL in playoff goals!
- SMU51

Sharp doesn't power the team on the ice, never drives possession, starts in the offensive zone every single shift. He's producing very well, but not at elite levels that can guarantee a Conn Smythe.

3rd most points since the lockout. Elite point production plus 200 foot game plus kills penalties plus 13 game point streak = Conn Smythe
- rollpards19

No doubt he is their leader and best all around player, but while he was amazing in the playoffs so were about 6 others. He is the team's mvp for sure, though

Sorry, but that statement invalidates your entire argument.
- darkman

Thanks for writing it so I didn't have to

Quick question for you guys...

Would Crawford be able to maintain his stellar stats if it wasn't for the relentless efforts by Frolik, Hammer, and Kruger on/off the PK. Just imagine the 2nd, 3rd, even 4th opportunities the opponents attackers would have if it was not for the speed and quickness of the Hawks role players to corral the puck and send it to a safe area away from the glorious Crawford.

I would take Sharp as MVP to this point too but definitely think Keith and Crawford would be in the discussion.

What's your deal with Crawford? Besides the obvious dislike; people were talking about peeing in cheerios before. Did he pee in yours? I'm not going to say the guy is amazing or anything like that but am at least willing to give him his due. He has been very good in these playoffs and is a big part of the reason the Hawks are still playing.

If it's left over angst from last year's playoffs, let it go...
- HawkintheD

The hawks D has been incredible keeping opponents SOG to a league minimum. Corey has benefited from that. The second the D is less than stellar, Corey is no longer superhuman. We need to understand our strengths and our weaknesses. Corey is Not our strength. He may not be a complete weakness but you have to admit even he looks behind himself a lot after a shot.

I hate to do this, because I really don't like all the discussions about who will be on the Hawks next year - plenty of time in a month for that stuff. That said, I think people are forgetting one aspect of the new CBA - the ability to keep some of the cap hit when trading a player. Take Monty, for example, and only as an example...
he has two years left on his contract at $2.75M per year. He is not a totally useless player, but the Hawks are not likely to find someone to take that hit. But what if they agree to keep $1M per year, would somebody want him is his hit for them was only $1.75? Maybe, and if so the Hawks get $1.75 in cap space each of the next two years. Same could happen with Bolland, although I think plenty of teams under the cap would take his whole hit for the one year left on his contract. Pizzaman could also be a possibility. So, if the Hawks want to save one compliance buyout for next year they could use this new tool to get a little cap space.

But can we just talk about the playoffs for now?

I'm not saying Crawford gets a pass for his mental breakdowns that result in soft goals, but the difference this year is his ability to recover and keep his team in the game. Sharp, Keith, Hossa, Bickell, Toews, Kane are also HUGE components of this team, but they're also part of the horrendous power play which has its own share of mental breakdowns. If not for C2 keeping the boys in the game, the failure of the power play would be magnified significantly, and we're not having this MVP debate.

Quick question for you guys...

Would Crawford be able to maintain his stellar stats if it wasn't for the relentless efforts by Frolik, Hammer, and Kruger on/off the PK. Just imagine the 2nd, 3rd, even 4th opportunities the opponents attackers would have if it was not for the speed and quickness of the Hawks role players to corral the puck and send it to a safe area away from the glorious Crawford.
- SMU51

But the prevailing sense here is exactly your inference: that Crawford is an adequate (average to above average) goalie who can be very good and win a cup IF the skaters focus on defense, protect him from rebound shots, quickly clear the puck and transition to offense.

As long as he doesn't give up bad goals at terrible times, and the skating Hawks do their job, Crawford is good enough to win.

Quick question for you guys...

Would Crawford be able to maintain his stellar stats if it wasn't for the relentless efforts by Frolik, Hammer, and Kruger on/off the PK. Just imagine the 2nd, 3rd, even 4th opportunities the opponents attackers would have if it was not for the speed and quickness of the Hawks role players to corral the puck and send it to a safe area away from the glorious Crawford.
- SMU51

Quick question for you...

Would Quick have the stats he had last playoff season if he didn't have the freight train of a team in front of him all playoffs long? The answer is no - there is no goalie that has the same numbers behind a crappy team as behind a great one. By your logic no Conn Smythe winner could be a goalie because pretty much all of them has a great team in front of them.

Quick question for you guys...

Would Crawford be able to maintain his stellar stats if it wasn't for the relentless efforts by Frolik, Hammer, and Kruger on/off the PK. Just imagine the 2nd, 3rd, even 4th opportunities the opponents attackers would have if it was not for the speed and quickness of the Hawks role players to corral the puck and send it to a safe area away from the glorious Crawford.
- SMU51

The Hawks penalty kill doesn't allow less shots than any other PK, they are very league average in that regard, buoyed by an insane PK SV%, which, you know, is that goalie guy

Honestly guys, if anyone deserves the Conn Symthe it would be Sharp, NOT Crawford.

He brings 110% and powers the team on/off the ice. I mean c'mon he's only leading the NHL in playoff goals!
- SMU51

Sharp, Keith, Crawford... It's a team game, and the Hawks are doing it as a team. You could roll out about 10 names, anyone of whom has stepped up HUGE in some key moment, without which the season might have ended by now, or at least not sitting at 2-0.

I'd lean toward Keith, because he's the best player on the best D in hockey, which makes Crawford better. But I'm OK with Sharp, too.

Does anyone have good seats for games 1and 2 of the final if we make it that far
Looking to purchase

But the prevailing sense here is exactly your inference: that Crawford is an adequate (average to above average) goalie who can be very good and win a cup IF the skaters focus on defense, protect him from rebound shots, quickly clear the puck and transition to offense.

As long as he doesn't give up bad goals at terrible times, and the skating Hawks do their job, Crawford is good enough to win.
- StLBravesFan

Thank You!! I hope we can all agree on this statement about Crawford and put these pointless disputes to rest.