Corey Crawford’s been one of the stars of a parade. Big one, too. A reported two million souls lining the route.

But outside the city of Chicago, any bouquets, the falling tickertape, that fuzzy, warm feeling of universal acceptance, has been difficult to come by.

“You know what?” reasons the reigning Stanley Cup-winning goaltender of record. “It’s all opinions. Some media have been pretty hard me in the past. And some are still pretty hard on me.

“I don’t care. Honestly. I really don’t care. It wouldn’t change a thing if everyone was on my side, loved everything I did and praised me after every game.

“They’re still just opinions. And good or bad, everybody has one.”

He only leads the league in goaltending W’s, at 16. His Hawks once again find themselves the glittering star atop the Western Conference Christmas tree, with 34 points. Hockey Canada was impressed enough to invite him here as one of five goaltenders selected to its summer Olympic orientation camp.

With the daily parlour game of Pick Team Canada being played out virtually on daily basis across this country, over festive Starbucks gingerbread lattes, in short breaks during cage-match corporate takeover meetings and on countless TV sports panel shows, the Canucks’ Roberto Luongo, the man between the pipes four years ago in Vancouver, and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens continue to receive most of the goaltending buzz.

Oh, for a change of pace, the odd anarchist might give a shout out to Phoenix’s scruffy marksman Mike Smith. And Marc-Andre Fleury’s name still pops up occasionally.

Corey Crawford?

Not so much.

OK, sure, nitpickers can quibble away about his goals-against-average (2.43) and save percentage (.912) being down from last season’s stellar numbers (1.94, .926), and the fact that he’s not currently among the league leaders in either category. But neither, for the sake of argument, is Luongo (2.33, .911).

“As the games get bigger,” lauds his boss, Chicago Blackhawks’ coach Joel Quenneville, “he gets bigger.”

There ain’t many bigger than Feb. 23rd at the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia.

So, taking Coach Q’s assessment into consideration, why doesn’t Corey Crawford’s name at least ever seem to be a part of the Olympic conversation?

“I’m not the guy to ask,” replies Hawks’ captain Jonathan Toews, following Chicago’s Tuesday practice at the Stampede Corral. “You’re the guy who should have the answers to that. People who discuss that sort of thing, who gets attention, who doesn’t . . . that’s the fans, that’s the media.

“For us in this room, we know what type of goaltender he is. I mean, he led us to a Stanley Cup. After coming off a rough season the year before, he was fantastic. You’d think he’d answered all the questions by now.”

Apparently not. Not that it’s anything he isn’t used to by now.

“He played very, very well last year,” chimes in defenceman Duncan Keith, a Sochi shoo-in on Canada’s blueline. “But I think sometimes you’ve got to bide your time to get recognition, for whatever reason. I guess it’s that way for him. He kinda flies under the radar. He’s certainly put in his time and he’s earned everything he’s gotten in his career so I’m sure he doesn’t take anything for granted now. We know what sort of goalie he is, especially in the big games.