By Bruce MacLeod
Of Journal Register News Service

CHICAGO — Corey Crawford never considered himself a quick-change artist.

“I’m usually a laid-back guy who’s kind of slow,” Crawford said.

Crawford, however, is a team guy. And on Friday night, he set what he believes to be his personal record for disrobing and putting on full goalie equipment.

It was part of a very unusual situation in hockey. The Blackhawks’ starting goalie, Nikolai Khabibulin, was injured during Friday’s Game 3 of the Western Conference final. In between the second and third period, it was determined that Khabibulin couldn’t continue to play and that backup Cristobal Huet would go in net against the Detroit Red Wings in a game that was tied 3-3.

The NHL has a rule in the playoffs that if a netminder is hurt, the team’s third goalie can dress and take the bench as the new backup.

So Crawford, a 24-year-old Montreal native who hasn’t played in an NHL regular-season or playoff game in more than a year, was one small injury away from being in net during a conference final.

“I didn’t really think about that, actually,” Crawford said after Saturday’s practice. “I was just so into the game. When we were up there (in the stands), I was just so glued to it. Then when I got down here (in the locker room), you times that by 10 when you’re on the bench watching a playoff game like that. That didn’t really go through my mind until after, then I realized it was a possibility.”

One month ago, Corey Crawford was tending goal for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League. Today, he’ll likely be the backup goalie for the Blackhawks, one small Huet injury away from national television.

Khabibulin didn’t practice on Saturday. His coach, Joel Quenneville, said that he’ll be a game-time decision for this afternoon’s Game 4 of the conference final.

Huet, however, was talking after practice as though he was going to start today’s contest.

“I wasn’t really tested the whole game (Friday),” said Huet. “Really my test is going to be tomorrow.”

Huet was brought in this season by the Blackhawks as a possible No. 1 goalie, earning $5.625 million per season. Khabibulin is earning $6.75 million, so two of the Blackhawks’ top four salaries are goalies.

For Crawford, Khabibulin’s injury was a lesson in preparedness.

Crawford was watching Game 3 from a suite when goalie coach Stephane Waite rang his cell phone, urging him to rush down to the locker room and get suited up.

Crawford got dressed and got to the Chicago bench with just a minute or two gone from the third period.

Lineup

With Martin Havlat and Sammy Pahlsson not practicing Saturday, Jacob Dowell and Colin Fraser skated in their place. Between them, Dowell and Fraser have one combined playoff game of experience this spring.

Quenneville said after practice that if Havlat can’t play today (Pahlsson has been missing practices to nurse an injury, but has played every post-season game), then Fraser will be in the Chicago lineup.