Assistant coach Marc Crawford was placed on leave by the Chicago Blackhawks Monday evening, pending an investigation into allegations of physical abuse against forward Sean Avery when Crawford coached the Los Angeles Kings in 2006.
“The Blackhawks will be conducting a thorough review of Marc based on the recent allegations that have been made regarding his conduct with another organization,” a team statement said. “Marc will be away from the team during this time and the organization will have no further comment until completion of the review.”
Avery had told the New York Post in a weekend interview that Crawford kicked him so hard that it left a mark. “He kicked me after a too-many-men-on-the-ice call I took,” Avery said. “He didn’t have me serve it, we got scored on, and he let me have it. You know how I stand at the end of the bench? He came down and gave me an ass-kick that left a mark.”
The Post traced the game in question to Dec. 23, 2006, when the bench minor led to a second-period Nashville goal, its sixth in a 7-0 win. Crawford, who won a Stanley Cup as head coach with Colorado in 1996, came back to the NHL a couple of years ago after coaching Toronto superstar Auston Matthews in Zurich, Switzerland.
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