Crawford slowly returning from concussion issues
CHICAGO — Corey Crawford’s 20-minute on-ice workout Wednesday morning seemed to end earlier than expected, but Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said it was part of a plan and there hasn’t been a setback in Crawford’s recovery from a concussion.
“No (issues),” Quenneville said after practice. “He’s been on the ice six days in a row and tomorrow he’s not skating, as well. But that’s part of the schedule. He was in the gym, as well. We still like the progress and the way he’s going along here.”
The five sessions that have been witnessed by the media have been around 40 minutes each day. Crawford hasn’t missed a day since revealing on the first day of camp last Friday that he had suffered a concussion last season and was not yet able to practise with the team.
Wednesday’s workout began as the others have but it ended a little differently. After doing similar drills as in previous days, Crawford conferred with head trainer Mike Gapski , then ended the session.
Quenneville wouldn’t rule Crawford out for the Oct. 4 season opener at Ottawa, but with him still unable to participate in team practices it’s looking more and more doubtful. Still, he’s been happy with Crawford’s progress.
“I think that every single day his movement, his conditioning, he’s feeling good,” Quenneville said. “And I think that’s half the battle, you’re getting conditioning out of it. Then all of a sudden you get in different positions and movements and then there’s progress along the way with the velocity of shots and then all of a sudden there’s traffic and there’s bodies and so we’re trying to add a little bit something and a different look every single day.”
Additionally, the Hawks announced Wednesday morning that defenceman Connor Murphy’s timeline for returning from a back injury has been changed.
“Connor will have a period of six weeks during which he will be off the ice,” team physician Dr. Michael Terry said in a statement. “He will undergo further testing at that time to determine if it is appropriate for him to begin more physical activity or require an additional four weeks of rest. This puts Murphy’s overall timeline at approximately eight to 12 weeks before returning to the lineup.”
Defenceman Jan Rutta was absent from the morning practice. Afterwards, the Hawks said he was day-to-day with a groin injury.