Over the past several weeks, the idea of Marc Crawford returning to coach the Vancouver Canucks has popped up numerous times—especially in conjunction with the idea that his familiarity with Auston Matthews makes him a desirable candidate.
Admittedly, I never thought the Canucks would hire John Tortorella back in 2013, but I'd put this idea even more strongly in the "not a chance" pile.
I don't think the Canucks organization would ever bring Crawford back onto the payroll due to his part in the Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore incident back in 2004.
This 2012 article from Sheila Dabu Nonato at the
National Post outlines Crawford's involvement in the case. At that time, Todd Bertuzzi dropped his personal lawsuit against Crawford, which had alleged that Crawford encouraged him to go after Moore. But Crawford was still one of the defendants in Moore's lawsuit—covered under the Canucks' insurance policy to a certain degree.
The suit was eventually settled out of court, so we'll never know exactly who paid what, but I'd expect the Canucks' legal fees alone would have been significant as the case dragged on. The organization also took a significant P.R. hit as a result of the ugly incident.
Crawford did interview for the Canucks' head coaching job at the time that Willie Desjardins was hired in 2014, but I can't imagine that ownership ever seriously considered bringing him back into the fold.
Would Crawford like to come back? Yes, I think that's the catalyst for this story. He has strong ties to the local media and now that he has been released from his job with Zurich in the Swiss League, he's beating the bushes in hopes of finding a way back to the NHL.
Over the past week, he has shifted his attention to Ottawa, where there is an actual coaching vacancy.
Also—though Crawford had success coaching Auston Matthews in Zurich during the regular season, don't overlook the fact that he left the Lions after his top-seeded team was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round—swept by eighth-seed Bern.
Matthews was 24-22-46 in 36 regular-season games for the Lions, according to
Elite Prospects. That ranked him second in scoring on his team and 10th overall in the NLA league—outstanding for an 18-year-old, to be sure.
The playoff loss certainly doesn't fall on Matthews' shoulders: he was Zurich's leading point-getter with three assists and was a plus-one in four games. But given the nature of that playoff upset, Crawford hasn't exactly left Switzerland on a high note.
Just say no.
If you're looking for other Canucks content on this sunny Sunday, Ed Willes takes us back through history to remind us of what might have been if the Canucks had drafted better in 1990, 2005, and during the Mike Gillis years.
And Jeff Paterson advocates for the Canucks to trade down if they wind up with the fourth pick in the draft.
That's all I have for today. Setting up to liveblog the Blues and Blackhawks in a few minutes, and trying to get my wits back about me after three emotional nights at the Commodore for the final Spirit of the West shows.
We have another full day of hockey ahead. I'm probably most curious to see if the Predators can pick up a 2-0 edge over the Ducks before they head back to Nashville. Sounds like Kevin Bieksa will be back in the lineup tonight for Anaheim after missing the last three and a half weeks due to injury.
Enjoy the games!
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