PHILADELPHIA — Corey Crawford is going to miss some time after having an appendectomy at a Philadelphia hospital on Saturday.



But the good news for Crawford is that if his case is like that of a former NHL goaltender, he could be back on the ice in a few weeks.



Chris Mason, who played for four NHL teams over seven seasons from 1998 to 2013, had an appendectomy when he was with the Blues in October 2008. Mason played his first game just 13 days after having the procedure.



"It was a fairly quick recovery," Mason said in a phone interview Saturday. "The hardest thing for me was when I stretched out my abdomen, if I was going side to side or diving across or something like that. It wasn't too bad for me. I know it differs from person to person."