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Marc Crawford
Marccrawford 2006nhlawards
Marc Crawford at the 2006 NHL Awards Ceremony
Position Left Wing
Height
Weight
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Teams Milwaukee Admirals (IHL)
Fredericton Express (AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
Dallas Black Hawks (CHL)
Nationality Flag of Canada Canadian
Born (1961-02-13)February 13, 1961,
Belleville, Ontario
NHL Draft 70th overall, 1980
Vancouver Canucks
Pro Career 1981 – 1989


Marc Joseph John Crawford (born February 13, 1961) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He most recently was the assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Crawford won the Stanley Cup in 1996 as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. He played as a forward for the Vancouver Canucks.

Early life[]

During his teenage years, Crawford attended Nicholson Catholic College in Belleville, Ontario.[1] He is the son of professional hockey player Floyd Crawford. He is the brother of NHL hockey players Bob Crawford and Lou Crawford.

Playing career[]

Crawford played three seasons of major junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Cornwall Royals. During this time, the team won back-to-back Memorial Cups. Crawford was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft in the fourth round, 70th overall. He joined the Canucks in 1981–82. As a rookie, Crawford was a part of Vancouver's 1982 run to the Stanley Cup finals, in which the Canucks were defeated by the New York Islanders.

During his six seasons in the NHL, Crawford would split time between Vancouver and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Fredericton Express. As a result of constantly flying between the two cities, which are over 5,000 kilometers apart, he earned the nickname "747",[2] though most contemporary Canucks fans know him as "Crow", a nickname coined during his tenure as a head coach with the team. In total, Crawford tallied 19 goals, 31 assists and 50 points in 176 games during his NHL career. After a season in the International Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals, Crawford retired as a professional player.

Coaching career[]

Early coaching career[]

Immediately after retiring as a player, Crawford became a head coach in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Cornwall Royals, for whom he had previously played in the QMJHL. After two seasons with Cornwall, Crawford moved to the AHL, and in his first season with the St. John's Maple Leafs, he took his team to the 1992 Calder Cup finals, losing to the Adirondack Red Wings. The following season, Crawford was awarded the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's coach of the year.

In 1994–95, Crawford broke into the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques and achieved immediate success. As a result, he won the NHL's Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. He is the youngest NHL coach in history to win the Jack Adams.[3] The next season, the Nordiques franchise was relocated to Colorado as the Avalanche, and Crawford won his first and only Stanley Cup as a coach in 1996, defeating the Florida Panthers in four games in the finals.

Crawford would continue to post successful regular seasons with the Avalanche in the next two seasons, but after an early first-round exit in the 1998 playoffs, he resigned on May 27, 1998. Despite reportedly being offered a one-year contract extension by general manager Pierre Lacroix, Crawford decided to "move on and accept a new challenge".[4]

Before his resignation with the Avalanche, Crawford was also the head coach of the Canadian Olympic hockey team at the 1998 Olympics, where they finished a disappointing fourth. Many fans questioned his choice of players to take part in the semi-final shootout with the Czech Republic, in which they lost, electing not to use future Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky or Steve Yzerman.

Vancouver Canucks[]

After a brief stint as a color commentator on Hockey Night in Canada,[3] Crawford replaced Mike Keenan as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks midway through the 1998–99 season. Joining Vancouver in the midst of a rebuilding period for the franchise, Crawford slowly developed the Canucks into a successful regular season team, playing a fast-paced and offensively emphasized style of play. After one-and-a-half seasons, he led Vancouver back to the playoffs. However, the Canucks were defeated in the first round by his former team, Colorado.

In 2002–03, Vancouver continued to improve under Crawford and posted a franchise record (since surpassed) of 104 points. The following season, they took the Northwest Division title from the Avalanche, who had finished first in their division every season since they won the Northeast Division during their last season playing in Quebec. Despite Vancouver's regular season success, they only managed to win one playoff series during Crawford's tenure. After the Canucks' failure to make the playoffs in the 2005–06 season, Crawford's position as head coach was terminated by management on April 25, 2006. He was replaced by Alain Vigneault.

In six-and-a-half seasons' work with the Canucks, Crawford marked himself as the longest-serving and winningest head coach in franchise history, coaching 529 games and 246 wins. On February 3, 2006, one of his last games in Vancouver, he also became the third-youngest head coach in NHL history to reach 400 wins. At 48 years and 342 days, this mark trails only Scotty Bowman and Glen Sather.[5]

Later years[]

Nearly one month after being fired by Vancouver, Crawford was hired by the Los Angeles Kings, a team in a similar situation to that of the Canucks when Crawford first joined them. On June 10, 2008, Crawford was fired by the Kings, although he had one year remaining on his initial contract.[6][7] He lasted only two years with the Kings, who thought a change was necessary in the coaching position. During his two seasons with the Kings, he missed the playoffs both times, making the 2004 playoffs as his last playoff appearance as a head coach.

During the 2008–09 season, Crawford did color commentary for Hockey Night in Canada late games alongside play-by-play announcer Mark Lee.[8][9][10][11]

A year after being fired from the Los Angeles Kings, Crawford was hired by Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk to replace previous head coach Dave Tippett.[12] The Stars fired Crawford on April 12, 2011, two days after the Stars' loss to the Minnesota Wild in the last game of the season, which ultimately cost the team the opportunity to capture the eighth playoff berth in the Western Conference.[13] Just like in LA, Crawford's tenure in Dallas lasted only two seasons.

In the summer of 2012, Crawford was named the new coach of the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League A, having signed a two-year contract. He won the NLA championship with the Lions in the 2013–14 season. In March 2014, he signed a two-year contract extension.[14] In spring 2015, Crawford was responsible for convincing coveted draft prospect Auston Matthews to sign and play with the Lions for the 2015–16 season.[15] Crawford was awed by Matthews' play during the 2015 U18 Championships and contacted Matthews' family and agent about a contract. Crawford would lead the Lions to winning the 2016 Swiss Cup.[16] Crawford left ZSC when his contract expired in 2016.[17] Besides winning the 2014 Swiss championship and 2016 Swiss Cup, he also guided the Lions to three NLA regular season championship titles, in 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16.

In May 2016, following the hiring of Guy Boucher, Crawford was hired as associate coach for the Ottawa Senators.[18] On March 1, 2019, Crawford became the interim head coach of the Senators following the firing of Guy Boucher for the rest of the 2018–19 season going 7–10–1.[19] D. J. Smith was then hired as the Senators head coach for the 2019–20 season.[20]

On June, 4, 2019 The Chicago Blackhawks announced Crawford as an assistant coach to Jeremy Colliton.[21]

Awards and achievements[]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1978–79 Cornwall Royals QMJHL 70 28 41 69 206 7 4 2 6 36
1979–80 Cornwall Royals QMJHL 54 27 36 63 127 18 8 20 28 48
1980–81 Cornwall Royals QMJHL 63 42 58 100 242 19 20 15 35 27
1981–82 Vancouver Canucks NHL 40 4 8 12 29 14 1 0 1 11
1981–82 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 34 13 21 34 71
1982–83 Vancouver Canucks NHL 41 4 5 9 28 3 0 1 1 25
1982–83 Fredericton Express AHL 30 15 9 24 59 9 1 3 4 10
1983–84 Vancouver Canucks NHL 19 0 1 1 9
1983–84 Fredericton Express AHL 56 9 22 31 96 7 4 2 6 23
1984–85 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1 0 0 0 4
1984–85 Fredericton Express AHL 65 12 29 41 173 5 0 1 1 10
1985–86 Vancouver Canucks NHL 54 11 14 25 92 3 0 1 1 8
1985–86 Fredericton Express AHL 26 10 14 24 55
1986–87 Vancouver Canucks NHL 21 0 3 3 67
1986–87 Fredericton Express AHL 25 8 11 19 21
1987–88 Fredericton Express AHL 43 5 13 18 90 2 0 0 0 14
1988–89 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 53 23 30 53 166 11 2 5 7 26
AHL totals 245 59 98 157 494 23 5 6 11 57
NHL totals 176 19 31 50 229 20 1 2 3 44

International[]

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1981 Canada WJC 5 1 3 4 4
Junior totals 5 1 3 4 4

Head coaching record[]

Team Year Regular season Postseason
G W L T OTL Pts Finish W L Win% Result
QUE 1994–95 48 30 13 5 65 1st in Northeast 2 4 .333 Lost in Conference Quarterfinals
COL 1995–96 82 47 25 10 104 1st in Pacific 16 6 .615 Won Stanley Cup
COL 1996–97 82 49 24 9 107 1st in Pacific 10 7 .588 Lost in Conference Finals
COL 1997–98 82 39 26 17 95 1st in Pacific 3 4 .429 Lost in Conference Quarterfinals
QUE/COL total 294 165 88 41 371   31 21 .596 4 playoff appearances
1 Stanley Cup
VAN 1998–99 37 8 23 6 (22) 4th in Northwest Missed playoffs
VAN 1999–2000 82 30 29 15 8 83 4th in Northwest Missed playoffs
VAN 2000–01 82 36 28 11 7 90 4th in Northwest 0 4 .000 Lost in Conference Quarterfinals
VAN 2001–02 82 42 30 7 3 94 2nd in Northwest 2 4 .333 Lost in Conference Quarterfinals
VAN 2002–03 82 45 23 13 1 104 2nd in Northwest 7 7 .500 Lost in Conference Semifinals
VAN 2003–04 82 43 24 10 5 101 1st in Northwest 3 4 .429 Lost in Conference Quarterfinals
VAN 2005–06 82 42 32 8 92 4th in Northwest Missed playoffs
VAN total 529 246 189 62 32 583   12 19 .387 4 playoff appearances
LAK 2006–07 82 27 41 14 68 4th in Pacific Missed playoffs
LAK 2007–08 82 32 43 7 71 5th in Pacific Missed playoffs
LAK total 164 59 84 21 139  
DAL 2009–10 82 37 31 14 88 5th in Pacific Missed playoffs
DAL 2010–11 82 42 29 11 95 5th in Pacific Missed playoffs
DAL total 164 79 60 25 183  
OTT 2018–19 18 7 10 1 (15) 8th in Atlantic Missed playoffs
OTT total 18 7 10 1 15  
Total 1,169 556 431 103 79 1,294   43 40 .518 8 playoff appearances
1 Stanley Cup

Moore incident[]

On February 16, 2004, when Crawford was coach of Vancouver, Colorado player Steve Moore concussed Vancouver captain Markus Näslund on a questionable hit. No penalty was called on the play, and the NHL later reviewed the incident and decided no penalty was warranted. However, Crawford was vocal about the incident and the failure of the NHL to respond.[22] During another game against Colorado on March 8, 2004, Todd Bertuzzi grabbed and punched Moore from behind, and rode him into the ice, causing Moore to suffer three broken vertebrae and multiple facial lacerations, which ultimately ended his career. According to a Colorado player, Crawford was laughing at the situation at the time it occurred and was the subject of substantial criticism following the incident.[23]

Crawford, along with Bertuzzi and the Canucks organization, were named as defendants in a $19+ million (US) lawsuit by Moore. According to the suit, following the February 16 incident, Crawford encouraged his players to seek revenge, which led in part to the injury to Moore. Specifically, Moore alleged that Crawford, Bertuzzi and former general manager Brian Burke entered into "an unlawful plan and agreement to assault, batter and injure Moore at a future date for the injuries that Näslund had suffered during the Feb. 16 game".[24] The Canucks were fined US$250,000 by the NHL for "...failure to prevent the atmosphere that may have led to the incident". As the case approached trial in 2014, Moore increased the damages claim to $68 million. In August 2014, the lawsuit concluded with all parties agreeing to a confidential settlement.[25]

Abuse of players and apology[]

In December 2019, multiple former players Crawford coached in the past came forward with stories of abuse, including Brent Sopel,[26] Patrick O'Sullivan,[27] Harold Druken[28] and Sean Avery.[29] Sopel had since clarified it was not his intention "to make any allegations against anyone or any organization", and Avery also offered support for Crawford.[30]

The Chicago Blackhawks suspended Marc from his role as assistant coach following these allegations and opened an investigation.[31] Crawford subsequently issued an apology to past players that brought forward stories of abuse.[32]

References[]

  1. Nicholson Catholic College
  2. Marc Crawford. Escapeway, Inc..
  3. 3.0 3.1 Marc Crawford. NHL.com.
  4. "Coach Crawford resigns", New York Times, May 28, 1998. 
  5. On This Day. Canucks.com.
  6. Kings fire head coach Marc Crawford. CBC News (June 10, 2008).
  7. Kings fire head coach Marc Crawford. TSN.ca (June 10, 2008).
  8. Houston, William. "Hockey Night in Canada turns to Crawford", The Globe and Mail, 2008-07-31. (en-CA) 
  9. Marc Crawford joining Hockey Night in Canada (July 31, 2008).
  10. "Marc Crawford joins Hockey Night in Canada", The Globe and Mail, 2008-07-31. (en-CA) 
  11. Marc Crawford returns to Hockey Night in Canada (en) (2008-07-31).
  12. "Stars hire Marc Crawford", CBC Sports, June 11, 2009. 
  13. Hunt, Steve (April 12, 2011). Dallas Stars fire coach Marc Crawford. NHL.com.
  14. AG, VADIAN.NET. Crawford bleibt bis 2016 ZSC-Trainer (de).
  15. "Lights, Camera, Action". The Hockey News 69 (15): 13–17. TVA Group. 
  16. ZSC Lions gewinnen den Schweizer Cup: ZSC Lions zum dritten Mal Cupsieger.
  17. Actualité - Marc Crawford et les ZSC Lions, c'est fini | Planète Hockey.
  18. News Release: Marc Crawford named Ottawa Senators associate coach. NHL (May 9, 2016).
  19. Marc Crawford named interim head coach of rebuilding Ottawa Senators (March 1, 2019).
  20. Smith hired by Senators as coach (May 23, 2019).
  21. RELEASE: Blackhawks announce Crawford as Assistant Coach (en-US).
  22. TSN : NHL – Canada's Sports Leader
  23. "Police investigate Canucks' Bertuzzi for hit on Moore", CBC News, March 10, 2004. 
  24. "Moore files lawsuit against Bertuzzi, Canucks", CBC News, February 18, 2005. 
  25. Strang, Katie (20 August 2014). Canucks settle with Steve Moore. ESPN.
  26. Brent Sopel says stories about Marc Crawford meant 'to entertain the listener'. CBC.CA News (6 December 2019).
  27. Pankiw, Colton (17 December 2019). PATRICK O'SULLIVAN NOT BUYING CRAWFORD'S APOLOGY. Marker Zone.
  28. Johnston, Patrick (4 December 2019). Patrick Johnston: Add Harold Druken to the crowd decrying Marc Crawford's coaching past. Postmedia News.
  29. Retired NHL player Sean Avery said former coach Marc Crawford kicked him when he played for Kings. USA Today.
  30. Brent Sopel says stories about Marc Crawford meant 'to entertain the listener. CBC.ca.
  31. Blackhawks assistant coach Marc Crawford apologizes for past behavior, will return to bench in January. CBS Sports (16 December 2019).
  32. Patrick Johnston: Crawford returns to Hawks' bench after apologizing for past behaviour. Postmedia News (2 January 2020).

External links[]

Preceded by
Pierre Pagé
Head coach of the Quebec Nordiques
1994–95
Succeeded by
Himself
Colorado Avalanche head coach
Preceded by
Himself
Quebec Nordiques head coach
Head coach of the Colorado Avalanche
1995–99
Succeeded by
Bob Hartley
Preceded by
Jacques Lemaire
Winner of the Jack Adams Award
1995
Succeeded by
Scotty Bowman
Preceded by
Mike Keenan
Head coach of the Vancouver Canucks
1999–2006
Succeeded by
Alain Vigneault
Preceded by
John Torchetti
Head coach of the Los Angeles Kings
2006–2008
Succeeded by
Terry Murray
Preceded by
Dave Tippett
Head coach of the Dallas Stars
2009–2011
Succeeded by
Glen Gulutzan
Preceded by
Guy Boucher
Head coach of the Ottawa Senators
2019
Succeeded by
D. J. Smith

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