Due to pancreatitis, Crozier missed twelve games out of 70 in 1966–67. His numbers were down as he won only 22 games and recorded a 3.35 GAA. The Red Wings missed the playoffs. After another bout of pancreatitis at the beginning of the 1967–68 season, Crozier announced his retirement due to stress and depression. Six weeks later, however, he returned to the ice; he played five games with the Fort Worth Wings of the Central Professional Hockey League (CPHL) as conditioning, then returned to Detroit. After two more seasons on a mediocre Red Wings team, he was traded to the newly formed Buffalo Sabres in 1970.