Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford under police investigation
When a team is down 3-1 in a series with a chance at making the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there is bound to be some tension. Unfortunately, sometimes that tension escalates into something far greater.
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According to TMZ, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department following an incident that occurred on Monday night during the Blackhawks’ 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
Crawford is being accused of battery after a report was filed by a 27-year-old Kings fan by the name of Clark Wong that he had been “sprayed” by the Hawks’ netminder.
Wong, who spoke with TMZ, says that he was sitting right behind the Blackhawks bench when he proceeded to begin heckling Crawford, who had recently been pulled from the game toward the end of the third period after allowing 4 goals in the game.
According to Wong, Crawford allegedly turned to him and sprayed him in the face with his water bottle.
TMZ is reporting that Wong was ejected from the game approximately three to five minutes after the incident occurred for “taunting the players.” It wasn’t until he was being escorted out of the building that he began to complain about the irritation to his eyes.
According to the report, Wong blames the backwash in the water bottle for the irritation to his eyes, and he plans to visit a doctor to have them checked out.
Now, do I think this was the brightest idea for Corey Crawford to do? Absolutely not. Can I understand his frustration with the matter? Of course. However, do I feel that he deserves to have criminal charges brought against him for the incident? Absolutely not.
This is not the first time that something like this has happened in during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After suffering a loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 Stanley Cup Conference Finals, Boston Bruins right wing Nathan Horton sprayed a fan and then chucked the bottle at him as he headed down the tunnel.
There were no criminal charges filed in this matter, nor do I feel there should be in the case of Corey Crawford. Unfortunately, it is not I who neither makes the final decision nor writes the laws of the land.
It will certainly be interesting to see how this situation plays out and whether any sort of punishment will be brought upon the Blackhawks goaltender.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Does Wong have a solid case against Crawford, or is this something that will eventually fade away into obscurity for the Hawks’ netminder? Let us know what you think in the comments below.