Crawford has 18 seasons of NHL coaching experience, 16 of which he spent as a head coach or interim head coach for Quebec/Colorado, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Dallas and Ottawa. Crawford led the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup victory in 1995-'96.
Crawford most recently served as the interim head coach of the Ottawa Senators, leading them to a 7-10-1 mark near the end of this past season. He had been the associate head coach in Ottawa for three seasons before that interim role.
"Jeremy has an extremely bright and innovative mind and I am totally impressed by his presence and enthusiasm," Crawford said in a statement. "I know we will have a terrific relationship and my experience should benefit the entire coaching staff."
Crawford's 556 wins as a head coach rank 21st in NHL history.
With his addition, the Blackhawks' coaching staff is now complete. He joins assistant Sheldon Brookbank, assistant Tomas Mitell, goaltending coach Jimmy Waite, video coach Matt Meacham and assistant video coach Dylan Crawford under Colliton. Dylan is Marc's son.