Jimmy Howard

[FedorovMan91 1]

Hello~ this is pre-season. One thing some people forget is the goalie is the position that requires the most time to develop fully. Sure, he has not done many good performance but let's see how he does in the full-regular season with Ozzie. Some people here have such bad temper to bash young players

[titanium2 867]

Also, I heard that if a goalie can't win in his first 15 games he'll never be a star. I mean, hell, I can't think of one single goalie who didn't mature with time.

In the first game of Kipper's 2nd full season the Wings got six goals on him. (At least I think they were all on him). I wonder what SJ fans were thinking of him then and how different it is now.

[LeftWinger 5,152]

Howard can not, and has never been able to control his rebounds. He can't even keep the puck in his glove when he makes a glove save. Sure, give him a chance, but with his inconsistancies and horrid, absolute horib puck control, he won't last too long in most games that he starts. Oh, those two goals that were redirects? Oh yeah, they were second shots off of rebounds! Hey snazzy, why dont you step in front of me when I pull the trigger? Because God knows if everyone doesn't worship ANYONE who dons the Winged Wheel, they are bandwagon, poor excuse of a human being and a pathetic excuse of a Wings fan right? Oh yeah, I forgot uninformed and should just end their lives right this second, because heaven forbid someone have a negative opinion of a Red Wing...

Here's some news Snazzy, et al. Just because someone wears the Red Wings Sweater doesn't make them the bestest most awesomest player to ever play. I think rose color glasses are a stretch for you, you went right for the Scott Summers brand...

[titanium2 867]

Hello~ this is pre-season. One thing some people forget is the goalie is the position that requires the most time to develop fully. Sure, he has not done many good performance but let's see how he does in the full-regular season with Ozzie. Some people here have such bad temper to bash young players

But being rational isn't any fun.

[titanium2 867]

Maybe Howard is why Cloutier got a camp invite. Let's give him a chance though.

Not the most inspiring statement in this thread.

[Doc Holiday 0]

I say give him a full season as backup, with some semi regular playing time. I haven't seen enough to say anything either way.

I will, however, agree that going into the postseason with only Ozzie and Howard is a bad idea. IIRC, a lot of the hockey pundits were speculating that we would pick up a more proven backup around the trade deadline (I think this was right around the time Kenny declared that Conklin wouldn't be re-signed, but I could be wrong on that). A move like that would make sense, as I don't think the Wings want to go into the playoffs with a rookie goalie as backup. Just makes you wonder who would be available, and what we would have to part with to pick up said more-reliable-backup.

I don't see the problem with having only Osgood to help us in the post-season, considering the Wings had "chokejob" Conklin as a backup last year to play if Osgood faltered.

[DMAC 25 18]

You forgot every other game he's played with us >.>

dang because u know he has played a whole lot for us hasnt he. i'm sorry but for the ten games maybe that hes played for us, its not enough time to make any decision about him

[Casey 145]

dang because u know he has played a whole lot for us hasnt he. i'm sorry but for the ten games maybe that hes played for us, its not enough time to make any decision about him

Problem is, he's never changed in any game I've seen, whether they're streamed AHL games or NHL, warmups or play. His rebound control sucks. It sucked the first time I saw him play in the '06 season, and he hasn't improved a whit, despite an extra three years of AHL play.

I simply don't trust him.

[thedisappearer 291]

Quick game. Guess who I am.

Yo yo yo, Jimmie Howard, good job and Imma let you finish but for realz, Glen Hanlon was the best Wings backup EVAH! For-EVER!

[vangvace 12]

You do realize we had DOUBLE Buffalo's shots last night? We had enough offensive support to win last night with a tarp in net.

And we only scored one goal.

Red Wings hockey at it's finest. Here I was worried about this season.

[vangvace 12]

Quick game. Guess who I am.

Yo yo yo, Jimmie Howard, good job and Imma let you finish but for realz, Glen Hanlon was the best Wings backup EVAH! For-EVER!

http://kanyelicious.appspot.com/http://www.letsgowings.com

[thedisappearer 291]

http://kanyelicious.appspot.com/http://www.letsgowings.com

That was lazy and sucked.

[Icesurfer 75]

And how many times have peeps said the exact same negative cr*p about Ozzie..... year after year no less. Give Howard a chance man. Detroit's goalies don't have to be great .... they just need to be good. Thank you Lidstrom!

[vangvace 12]

That was lazy and sucked.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Howard can not, and has never been able to control his rebounds. He can't even keep the puck in his glove when he makes a glove save. Sure, give him a chance, but with his inconsistancies and horrid, absolute horib puck control, he won't last too long in most games that he starts. Oh, those two goals that were redirects? Oh yeah, they were second shots off of rebounds! Hey snazzy, why dont you step in front of me when I pull the trigger? Because God knows if everyone doesn't worship ANYONE who dons the Winged Wheel, they are bandwagon, poor excuse of a human being and a pathetic excuse of a Wings fan right? Oh yeah, I forgot uninformed and should just end their lives right this second, because heaven forbid someone have a negative opinion of a Red Wing...

Here's some news Snazzy, et al. Just because someone wears the Red Wings Sweater doesn't make them the bestest most awesomest player to ever play. I think rose color glasses are a stretch for you, you went right for the Scott Summers brand...

Oh yeah man, you should call the best GM in hockey and ask him why he's given Jimmy the time of day for the last few years-- I mean wouldn't he have dumped him when he was considered a blue-chip prospect by the hockey world if he noticed this insightful facts?

[Drake_Marcus 890]

So basically we have a gross over-reaction here about a young goalie who has potential but lacks the eye-opening NHL appearance to convince us.

Guess why the Wings haven't bailed on him yet? Because the reward outweighs the risk at this point. Expect Larsson to get his shot as soon as the risk is greater than the reward for Jimmy.

It's friggin' September-- Kenny's got 7 months to figure Jimmy out.

Edit: Plus, I'm not going to lie here-- we could use a goalie that forces the defense to get better.

Edited September 21, 2009 by Drake_Marcus

[gcom007 1,465]

So basically we have a gross over-reaction here about a young goalie who has potential but lacks the eye-opening NHL appearance to convince us.

Guess why the Wings haven't bailed on him yet? Because the reward outweighs the risk at this point. Expect Larsson to get his shot as soon as the risk is greater than the reward for Jimmy.

It's friggin' September-- Kenny's got 7 months to figure Jimmy out.

Edit: Plus, I'm not going to lie here-- we could use a goalie that forces the defense to get better.

Well, Osgood gave the defense every reason to be better last year and it didn't help much...

And while I think it's worth noting that he hasn't been shipped off, at the same time, it's also worth noting that he's struggled to impress them enough to think he's ready for awhile now. The expectations have gotten lower and lower each year. At first he was the next great home-grown Wings goalie. Then he was likely to be a solid NHL goalie. Then we think he can still be an NHL goalie. And then they think he can still be an NHL backup. Now it's more along the lines of we hope he can be an NHL backup.

I'm all for giving him his fair shot and staying open minded, and I certainly agree some are jumping off the deep end, but this is a far cry different than people doubting Osgood last year. Osgood's proven a great deal in his long NHL career. He's won Cups and a LOT of games. Howard hasn't even proven much in his AHL career and if anything has done more to cause management to question him than have confidence in him. It's tough to have a lot of faith in this guy when management has lowered the bar every year and he's still struggled to really grab hold of a slot. Even this year, if not for being out of minor league options, do you honestly think he would outplay Conklin if they were competing for the backup role?

Again, I'm not trying to jump off the deep end here, but I think both sides are a little off on this issue. Those hyping up how horrible this will be need to chill for a bit, but those saying we have no idea, and we don't need a great goalie are ignoring reality and not giving Osgood his due as a top NHL goalie. Don't kid yourself for a second. "Doesn't need to be great" like Legace? I remember that going really well. It's not that we need Roy/Brodeur/Hasek-legendary status goalies to win, but make no mistake, Osgood has absolutely been great when it matters most for a long, long time in this league.

Chris Osgood was an NHL All-Star and leading candidate for a Vezina Trophy in 1995/96 at the age of 23. Jimmy Howard is cracking the Red Wing lineup as a backup basically because they're out of minor league options for him at the age of 25.

There's a big, big, big difference between Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard.

Edited September 21, 2009 by gcom007

[deetroit dario 27]

as i type this, i'm watching OP's fave player w/ moscow dynamo...you wanna see a goalie with no rebound control? check out hudler's heroes some day!!

so, i suppose since none of our new kids scored or even had any points in this ONE game, we should trade/waive/castrate them too, eh?

c'mon, leftie...you're supposed to be "mr. youth movement".

i'm not saying i've got a ton of faith in howie, but fer crimminy! if you wanna get into rebound control, he only struggled with a couple in the last period! glove saves were solid for the first two periods, and like drake said...maybe its not such a bad idea to have a goalie around who forces us to be more defensively responsible, especially for the "youth movement", who should be given every reason to develop good defensive habits.

not to say we should just "hang a tarp" in goal...rather to reiterate that the young guys' games are still very impressionable.

i have to agree with most everyone else here...most likely we'll have someone new at the trade deadline. larsson will also be given his chance if and when howard becomes to much of a liability. we've got effin' options...

and sincerely, you should check out huds and dynamo moscow if you wanna feel better about almost everything, especially goaltending. the khl style of play sort of reminds me of my lovemaking....sloppy and all over the place. is it good hockey? lets just say....its entertaining as hell!

[sureWhyNot 19]

I am surprised so many people around here act as though it is still up in the air whether or not Howard will be a decent, NHL calibre goalie. I mean, it's not like this is his first audition.

He sucks - I mean, I hate to be blunt, but it's the truth. He is not going to be, nor will he ever be even an average NHL tender. Hell, he was average in the AHL, and it's not a fluke that he hasn't been brought up to the big squad until this year - he wasn't good enough.

But whatever keeps folks happy. I will cross my fingers too if it turns out he was just "off his game" the last 3 years.

[FinWing 26]

Well, Osgood gave the defense every reason to be better last year and it didn't help much...

And while I think it's worth noting that he hasn't been shipped off, at the same time, it's also worth noting that he's struggled to impress them enough to think he's ready for awhile now. The expectations have gotten lower and lower each year. At first he was the next great home-grown Wings goalie. Then he was likely to be a solid NHL goalie. Then we think he can still be an NHL goalie. And then they think he can still be an NHL backup. Now it's more along the lines of we hope he can be an NHL backup.

I'm all for giving him his fair shot and staying open minded, and I certainly agree some are jumping off the deep end, but this is a far cry different than people doubting Osgood last year. Osgood's proven a great deal in his long NHL career. He's won Cups and a LOT of games. Howard hasn't even proven much in his AHL career and if anything has done more to cause management to question him than have confidence in him. It's tough to have a lot of faith in this guy when management has lowered the bar every year and he's still struggled to really grab hold of a slot. Even this year, if not for being out of minor league options, do you honestly think he would outplay Conklin if they were competing for the backup role?

Again, I'm not trying to jump off the deep end here, but I think both sides are a little off on this issue. Those hyping up how horrible this will be need to chill for a bit, but those saying we have no idea, and we don't need a great goalie are ignoring reality and not giving Osgood his due as a top NHL goalie. Don't kid yourself for a second. "Doesn't need to be great" like Legace? I remember that going really well. It's not that we need Roy/Brodeur/Hasek-legendary status goalies to win, but make no mistake, Osgood has absolutely been great when it matters most for a long, long time in this league.

Chris Osgood was an NHL All-Star and leading candidate for a Vezina Trophy in 1995/96 at the age of 23. Jimmy Howard is cracking the Red Wing lineup as a backup basically because they're out of minor league options for him at the age of 25.

There's a big, big, big difference between Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard.

Great post.

I still hope Jimmy can pull it off but if not, Larsson can be brought up to fill in or Kenny can bring in a veteran backup to help out. There's still plenty of time to make decisions here.

[chrisdetroit 189]

I am surprised so many people around here act as though it is still up in the air whether or not Howard will be a decent, NHL calibre goalie. I mean, it's not like this is his first audition.

He sucks - I mean, I hate to be blunt, but it's the truth. He is not going to be, nor will he ever be even an average NHL tender. Hell, he was average in the AHL, and it's not a fluke that he hasn't been brought up to the big squad until this year - he wasn't good enough.

But whatever keeps folks happy. I will cross my fingers too if it turns out he was just "off his game" the last 3 years.

Oh s***! Did you tell Ken Holland this? He is going to be upset when he finds out. All the time and effort that the Wings put into Howard and now this.

Jesus Christ, why didn't you say something earlier.

[tdinc 45]

paging ....Glen Hanlon.......Greg Stefan.........

[StevieY9802 6]

While I'm not sold on him either but you can't write him off because of Saturday night. Two goals both on deflections. And with only like a half a team in front of him it's hard to know how he would have done with Zetterberg, Stuart, Kronwall, Bertuzzi, Williams and the rest of the team out there. I understand not having confidence in him but writing him off because he let hin two goals on deflections is a little much.

[VM1138 1,921]

So basically we have a gross over-reaction here about a young goalie who has potential but lacks the eye-opening NHL appearance to convince us.

Guess why the Wings haven't bailed on him yet? Because the reward outweighs the risk at this point. Expect Larsson to get his shot as soon as the risk is greater than the reward for Jimmy.

It's friggin' September-- Kenny's got 7 months to figure Jimmy out.

Edit: Plus, I'm not going to lie here-- we could use a goalie that forces the defense to get better.

I get what you're saying, but I really think the reality is that the Wings don't plan on Howard being the future. All signs to them switching to Larsson in future years.

They "haven't bailed on him yet" because they can't afford to. Conklin left. Howard can't be sent down without losing him for nothing, so he has to have the backup spot. THey're hoping that because it's Detroit, he won't have to be great, and so it's not a high level risk (they hope).

But if Osgood has to carry more starts and runs the risk of injury, the team will be in serious trouble. They are merely waiting to see what their options are, I think, not planning on letting Howard pan out, beacuse they know he's shown absolutely no improvement over the last few seasons.

[RedAlert 0]

I think people are being overly harsh on Howard. I was at the Buffalo game and sat only a few rows right behind Howard for periods one and three. I honestly think he stood little chance on saving those two goals. Overall, I thought he played well, although he didn't face much in the ways of shots, thats for sure...