Jimmy Howard watch thread

[Echolalia 2,961]

Jimmy Howard

26 years old

62 career games started

2009-2010

32-15-9

GAA: 2.24 (3rd league wide, 1st Western Conference)

sv%: .926 (4th league wide, 1st Western Conference)

wins: 32 (10th league wide, 7th Western Conference)

2 shutouts

Edited March 30, 2010 by Echolalia

[Carman 387]

Giving the team a chance to win, that's all I can ask for.

[Esquire 324]

My opinion has shifted towards a more optimistic position on the guy, that's for sure. Still lots of hockey to play though.

[Green Wing 26]

The thing I like about him is that he seems to able to forget about it when he lets in a softie, instead of letting it prey on his mind and crumbling. Even last night he made quite a few saves after his gaff.

I've been impressed with him.

[thedatsyukian 7]

I hope more people follow suit with one thread for specific discussions.

He's certainly surpassed my expectations and really quieted the call for another goaltender at the deadline which in itself says a lot. The biggest knock on Howard over the years has been his consistency so if he can manage to overcome his bugaboo, we'll have ourselves a solid nhl netminder.

Edited December 12, 2009 by thedatsyukian

[gcom007 1,465]

I'm very happy with Howard this season. I was one of the one's unsure that he'd have what it takes but I was also one who felt he deserved a chance to prove himself with some solid time at an NHL level. Thus far, he's really doing just that. My only concern is the possibility of pushing him too hard too early because he's looked good so far. I'd hate for him to have a couple bad games and start questioning himself again, not to mention what the media and fans will do with a young kid who slips up just a smidge. Any goalie is bound to hit a rough spot here and there, so I just hope we're not asking for it to happen sooner rather than later by playing him so much especially with a decimated team.

[Lovin Jiri Fischer 147]

He has really come a long way. I remember last year and the year before when he would let in 4 or 5 goals per game. He seemed unable to recover and way too nervous. Now he seems really mature and composed and confident. I am very happy.

[Broken 16 381]

The thing that strikes me most about Howard is his desire to battle for loose pucks.

[Booster313 138]

The thing that strikes me most about Howard is his desire to battle for loose pucks.

That's because he is having difficulty absorbing the puck and as a result is giving up juicy rebounds. I am not bashing him, I think he has come a long way from the beginning of the year, but he makes easy saves look far to difficult because of a lack of puck control at times. If he can learn to fix this short coming he could be great.

[Broken 16 381]

That's because he is having difficulty absorbing the puck and as a result is giving up juicy rebounds. I am not bashing him, I think he has come a long way from the beginning of the year, but he makes easy saves look far to difficult because of a lack of puck control at times. If he can learn to fix this short coming he could be great.

I know what you're talking about and I agree. But I'm talking about deflected shots and broken plays that the defensemen are bobbling and having a hard time with. He'll push people out of the way to get to a loose puck. I like that.

Edited December 12, 2009 by Broken 16

[cupforwings 138]

The thing I like about him is that he seems to able to forget about it when he lets in a softie, instead of letting it prey on his mind and crumbling. Even last night he made quite a few saves after his gaff.

I've been impressed with him.

thats a page out of the Chris Osgood book.. Being able to mentally overcome a soft goal and continue to have a strong game... Thats probably one of the most important qualities of any goalie. Last night was a perfect example. He knew he let in a soft goal but was able to forget about it and give his team a chance to win.. You can't ask for anything more

[Redline 0]

"Howie let in a weakie."

Mike Babcock

Wakie wakie, picture takie, say what?

[dropkickshanahans 463]

"Howie let in a weakie."

Mike Babcock

Wakie wakie, picture takie, say what?

Easy weasy, lemon squeezy

BTW, 20th overall with a .914 save %? That's really good in my book for a rook. Keep it up, Howard, don't get shook!

[Shady Ultima 40]

I love how he's been playing. I think he's been far overdue to join the Wings, but having Osgood around to mentor him is absolutely going to help him in the long run.

This kid has so much potential, and I hope he makes the most of the tools he has.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Updated.

The kid looked good tonight, outside of that second goal and a bit of miscommunication between him and the D.

[SaCkaveli20 275]

I approve of this thread.

Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheCaptain19 49]

i wish he would go back to his octopus helmet. it was much cooler. ha

Edited December 15, 2009 by TheCaptain19

[The Secret 304]

Right now he has been doing enough and that is fine but we need a clear cut #1 and he is not it. A part from a few good saves per game he is shakey at best and if it weren't for the D playing well in front of him I think his numbers would be , alot different. We need a game stealer someone your not holding your breath each time a shot goes his way. His rebound control is horrible and he is caught out of position alot. Perhaps he can improve and now would be the time to tighten up his game but its taken him this long to get into regular rotation for a reason and I think he has far better competition ready to challenge him.

[KrazyGangsta 79]

Howard is going to be great next year that's for sure.

[sliverck 3]

Right now he has been doing enough and that is fine but we need a clear cut #1 and he is not it. A part from a few good saves per game he is shakey at best and if it weren't for the D playing well in front of him I think his numbers would be , alot different. We need a game stealer someone your not holding your breath each time a shot goes his way. His rebound control is horrible and he is caught out of position alot. Perhaps he can improve and now would be the time to tighten up his game but its taken him this long to get into regular rotation for a reason and I think he has far better competition ready to challenge him.

Take note all you NHL goalies. This is why you should run, not walk away from any contract the Wings may offer you. No matter how good you've been, no matter how much you've improved, you will never be good enough and you'll be railroaded out of town. The best Wings goalie is always the one that's not playing. On a side note. Jimmy is playing great, his rebound control has improved a lot and he is able to come up with some big saves. Occassionally he lets in a soft one but he doesn't let it get to him and that reminds me of another Wings goalie, who's won a few Stanley Cups for over the years.

[The Secret 304]

Take note all you NHL goalies. This is why you should run, not walk away from any contract the Wings may offer you. No matter how good you've been, no matter how much you've improved, you will never be good enough and you'll be railroaded out of town. The best Wings goalie is always the one that's not playing. On a side note. Jimmy is playing great, his rebound control has improved a lot and he is able to come up with some big saves. Occassionally he lets in a soft one but he doesn't let it get to him and that reminds me of another Wings goalie, who's won a few Stanley Cups for over the years.

Take note all seeking to join LGW. This is why you should never post anything that is not first viewed through the rosey red glasses of posters like this guy and you should never post anything critical against any player on the team because they are Red Wings and therefore perfect.

Anyway, Jimmy's improved but not enough to be a #1 goalie yet IMO. He makes some big saves, he's a Pro hockey player let's hope he can occassionally, but he's also let in alot of very save-able goals and to me seems to scramble alot. I'm not comfortable with him.

[mmamolo 287]

Personally, I think Howard has come a long way and looks better and better. I'm having a hard time understanding how ppl think he let in a weak goal last night. The first goal Ericsson was down and out and the second goal was deflected off of a stick. Was it saveable? Sure, sometimes. But it's hard to blame a goaltender for a deflected shot like that.

To me, Howard is one of the main reasons the Wings are doing as well as they are with all of the injuries they have. You don't get numbers like he has just because your team defense is good. If you're a goaltender who relies strictly on your defensive core to boost your numbers you end up with a good win-loss record and a good GAA but Howard's Save Percentage is what shows us his improvement.

To me, right now, I am more confortable with him in net than I am with Osgood because Osgood hasnt ramped it up yet. To me we have a very solid tandem in net and I'll never understand all of the criticism Wings goalies get.

[VM1138 1,921]

Osgood is the better goalie, but I feel more comfortable with Howard right now, isn't that weird? Go with the winning goalie.

[sliverck 3]

Take note all seeking to join LGW. This is why you should never post anything that is not first viewed through the rosey red glasses of posters like this guy and you should never post anything critical against any player on the team because they are Red Wings and therefore perfect.

I don't think I said that Howard was the greatest, bestest, awesomest goalie in the world. I'm saying he is showing that he has potential, he's improved a ton since early in the season and you have to keep in mind he is still a rookie. Datsyuk wasn't all that great in his first season, he seemed to get knocked down on every shift. But you probably wanted him out then anyway. I'm giving it to Howard for keeping this season afloat. He's in the middle of the pack when it comes to goalie stats, just go look at Osgood's stats and you tell me where this team would be right now without Howard.

[gcom007 1,465]

I don't think I said that Howard was the greatest, bestest, awesomest goalie in the world. I'm saying he is showing that he has potential, he's improved a ton since early in the season and you have to keep in mind he is still a rookie. Datsyuk wasn't all that great in his first season, he seemed to get knocked down on every shift. But you probably wanted him out then anyway. I'm giving it to Howard for keeping this season afloat. He's in the middle of the pack when it comes to goalie stats, just go look at Osgood's stats and you tell me where this team would be right now without Howard.

I think generally Osgood's still looked better than Howard this season. Stats don't tell the whole story. People keep trying to compare this season to last season for him when there's little that's similar at all. You go back and watch the games and for the most part, Osgood's been solid, even great at times. Earlier on he was the victim of a team that was an utter and complete mess. There were numerous games that he played great in that we ended up losing because the team stopped playing as a whole. Go look up how many games Osgood was letting in 4-5, hell even 6 or 7 goals last year and compare it to this year.

It's not a matter of Osgood playing bad right now so much as Howard playing better than he has in his career and this is his rookie year. They need to see if he can really make it happen and they've got to do everything to get him going after so many years of development in the AHL and continually lowered expectations. They know Osgood will be fine down the stretch. They even as of now can't say that about Jimmy Howard.

Now that's not to take away from anything Howards done this year though. He's definitely been solid and I'm not complaining or trying to rip on him at all, but as many have pointed out, he is scrambling quite a bit out there at times. I think thus far he's been solid but also pretty lucky with a lot of saves he's made or defensemen have made when he's got sloppy positioning going on. I think he'll improve it though as time goes on, and again, I'm not trying to knock him. I just don't see this as a situation of Howard's playing great and saving us because Osgood sucks at all. If Osgood was getting more starts lately, his stats would absolutely be up because the defense finally got their s*** together after one of the ugliest Octobers I can remember.