Jimmy Howard watch thread

[greenrebellion 415]

Hope the defense shows up.

Defense seemed fine once McDonald was in.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Defense seemed fine once McDonald was in.

The story of the season is poor defensive play. It's easy, and short sited, to cherry pick a bad game and lay the full blame on Howard.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Howard He Do It?!

[edicius 3,269]

This is why Jimmy has earned the nickname "Jimmy How4rd".

His SV% dropped from .910 to .908 just because of last night's game. GAA is at 2.79.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Hope the defense shows up.

Hooray for deflecting blame.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Hooray for deflecting blame.

Hooray for ignoring the truth!

[stevkrause 1,247]

He has been good/great all season and the scapegoats that dump EVERYTHING on goaltending in this town are a joke and some people have been way too hard on him for things that are not his fault...

with that said - He was HORRENDOUS last night... he looked dis-interested, mentally checked out and lethargic in his movement... I'm not going to speculate what was wrong with him, but I almost hope he has a bug or something at this point, because last night was BAD and arguably his worst game in his career to date...

[lookalive07 251]

He has been good/great all season and the scapegoats that dump EVERYTHING on goaltending in this town are a joke and some people have been way too hard on him for things that are not his fault...

with that said - He was HORRENDOUS last night... he looked dis-interested, mentally checked out and lethargic in his movement... I'm not going to speculate what was wrong with him, but I almost hope he has a bug or something at this point, because last night was BAD and arguably his worst game in his career to date...

I thought that about him too. He has played some phenomenal games this year, but last night after that first goal went 5-hole on him, he had this look on his face of "well, this is going to be a long night." I think he might have been a little frustrated with the defensive effort in a way, especially in the first two periods, but like I said, he just looked like he was apathetic after the first goal went in.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Hooray for ignoring the truth!

Strange, that seems to be what you have been doing.

[HankthaTank 1,100]

Poor showing. Not much else to say here really. Figure. it. out.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Strange, that seems to be what you have been doing.

Then you have no idea what you are talking about. Thanks for playing. Better luck next time.

[Nightfall 871]

Lets just cut through this shall we?

There is no goalie good enough to wear the Wings jersey. You name it, every goalie has good days and bad days. Every goalie gives up rebounds. Every goalie gives up soft goals. The team in front of the goalie makes all the difference. The Wings are 3rd in the NHL because they have a good team.

So Howard had a bad game, big deal. Hell, the entire Wings team had a bad game last night. The funny part is when the team in front of him plays like crap, he still gets pushed under the bus.

Personally, I am glad that they signed Howard to the 2 year deal. I am also glad that the collective Wings fans are not in charge of the team. Hell, these are the same people that will lambaste their team all season long, and then when they win the cup, will take credit saying it was the best team ever assembled. Look at the Dallas Drake signing a few years ago. People scoffed at that signing, yet he was a valuable depth player. In the end, he wins and cup and everyone takes credit for saying how good of a signing it was. What a load of crap.

Here is an idea. To the ones who are critical of the players, get on board with being a fan of the Red Wings. If you want to bandwagon it up, go jump on board the Vancouver bus.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Both Howard and the D have to be better for them to go far.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Then you have no idea what you are talking about. Thanks for playing. Better luck next time.

Sure I do.

You are deflecting blame from a goaltender who has not shown how to perform consistently in the post-season. A goaltender who has been sub-par this season, with spurts of amazing play followed by inconsistency and soft goals allowed.

To simply brush off his performance by pointing to the defense is a misinterpretation of the facts. The defense has been an issue, but Howard himself has been a contributer of the problem this season. Not every game (such as the last few he has played in), but overall he hasn't been up to par.

Of course it is silly to point out Howard as an issue going into the playoffs in a "Jimmy Howard Watch" thread.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Sure I do.

You are deflecting blame from a goaltender who has not shown how to perform consistently in the post-season. A goaltender who has been sub-par this season, with spurts of amazing play followed by inconsistency and soft goals allowed.

To simply brush off his performance by pointing to the defense is a misinterpretation of the facts. The defense has been an issue, but Howard himself has been a contributer of the problem this season. Not every game (such as the last few he has played in), but overall he hasn't been up to par.

Of course it is silly to point out Howard as an issue going into the playoffs in a "Jimmy Howard Watch" thread.

Over reaction much? Howard has appeared in one playoff run and you are ready to throw him under the bus as inconsistent. That makes a lot of sense. Howard has hardly been inconsistent this season. The only inconsistent part of this season has been the team's defense and the goaltending has suffered as a result. It would on any team.

I wasn't brushing off his performance last night. If you actually read the quote that I responded to it had nothing to do with last night's game and everything to do with the season as a whole. To simply state that the Wings must score more in order for howard to be successful in the playoffs is a joke and ignoring what has happened this season. This team needs to score goals because of poor defensive play, not poor goaltending.

Now stop misinterpreting the facts and making up others. You, like many others around here, have an unrealistic expectation for goaltending. It's not a one man show.

There is a difference in pointing out an issue and making crap up. Silly rabbit.

[HankthaTank 1,100]

So Howard had a bad game, big deal. Hell, the entire Wings team had a bad game last night. The funny part is when the team in front of him plays like crap, he still gets pushed under the bus.

Too true. Happens to every goal that comes through here though. It's not going to change anytime soon. Even if (big if) Jimmy makes every save all the time and lets the occasional goal in, people on these boards, in the arena, or anywhere else will bash him for it. What have you done for me lately? is mantra around here. Won't ever change and I can't say I blame anyone for that mentality.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Over reaction much? Howard has appeared in one playoff run and you are ready to throw him under the bus as inconsistent. That makes a lot of sense. Howard has hardly been inconsistent this season. The only inconsistent part of this season has been the team's defense and the goaltending has suffered as a result. It would on any team.

Throw him under the bus? He is slumping. He is playing inconsistently (compared to last year especially). The defense isn't doing him any favors but he is letting in goals that he wouldn't have last year. And to top it all off he did not have that great of a post-season run last year, even after a great performance in the regular season. Will he get better with experience? Maybe. But I'm not going to have a blind assumption that Howard and the team will do well in the playoffs just because the contrary would make me seem a pessimist to some posters.

I wasn't brushing off his performance last night. If you actually read the quote that I responded to it had nothing to do with last night's game and everything to do with the season as a whole. To simply state that the Wings must score more in order for howard to be successful in the playoffs is a joke and ignoring what has happened this season. This team needs to score goals because of poor defensive play, not poor goaltending.

Once again, team defense isn't the only thing that is the issue here. Howard HAS NOT BEEN DOING AS WELL AS HE CAN AND SHOULD BE DOING.

Now stop misinterpreting the facts and making up others. You, like many others around here, have an unrealistic expectation for goaltending. It's not a one man show.

There is a difference in pointing out an issue and making crap up. Silly rabbit.

Tell me what I made up. You are ignoring Howard's struggles and saying "but the defense!" over and over again. That is a misinterpretation of the facts. I have stated multiple times this season the issues of the defense. But the defense is not the only reason Howard's numbers are so mediocre. Howard is another reason.

[stevkrause 1,247]

Lets just cut through this shall we?

There is no goalie good enough to wear the Wings jersey. You name it, every goalie has good days and bad days. Every goalie gives up rebounds. Every goalie gives up soft goals. The team in front of the goalie makes all the difference. The Wings are 3rd in the NHL because they have a good team.

So Howard had a bad game, big deal. Hell, the entire Wings team had a bad game last night. The funny part is when the team in front of him plays like crap, he still gets pushed under the bus.

Personally, I am glad that they signed Howard to the 2 year deal. I am also glad that the collective Wings fans are not in charge of the team. Hell, these are the same people that will lambaste their team all season long, and then when they win the cup, will take credit saying it was the best team ever assembled. Look at the Dallas Drake signing a few years ago. People scoffed at that signing, yet he was a valuable depth player. In the end, he wins and cup and everyone takes credit for saying how good of a signing it was. What a load of crap.

Here is an idea. To the ones who are critical of the players, get on board with being a fan of the Red Wings. If you want to bandwagon it up, go jump on board the Vancouver bus.

Ding. Ding. Ding

Curtis Joseph

Year / GP / W / L / OT / Min. / GA / SA / GAA / SV % / SO / PIM / OTGA / OTW

2003-2004 / 9 / 4 / 4 / - / 518 / 12 / 197 / 1.39 / .939 / 1 / - / - / -

2002-2003 / 4 / 0 / 4 / - / 289 / 10 / 120 / 2.08 / .917 / 0 / - / - / -

and idiots ran him out of town because the offense in front of him couldn't score goals... goalie in Detroit is a tough job...

Edited March 22, 2011 by stevkrause

[edicius 3,269]

Tell me what I made up. You are ignoring Howard's struggles and saying "but the defense!" over and over again. That is a misinterpretation of the facts. I have stated multiple times this season the issues of the defense. But the defense is not the only reason Howard's numbers are so mediocre. Howard is another reason.

Bolded for truth.

And if it's all on the defense last night, how come Joey Mac essentially pitched a shutout in regular and OT? And before anyone says, "Well, he only faced 10 shots on goal!", Jimmy faced, what, 15? That's five more...and out of those five more shots, he gave up four goals.

Ding. Ding. Ding

Curtis Joseph

Year / GP / W / L / OT / Min. / GA / SA / GAA / SV % / SO / PIM / OTGA / OTW

2003-2004 / 9 / 4 / 4 / - / 518 / 12 / 197 / 1.39 / .939 / 1 / - / - / -

2002-2003 / 4 / 0 / 4 / - / 289 / 10 / 120 / 2.08 / .917 / 0 / - / - / -

and idiots ran him out of town because the offense in front of him couldn't score goals... goalie in Detroit is a tough job...

No one I know blamed Cujo for those playoff losses. He played out of his mind, especially in that OT game against Calgary.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Throw him under the bus? He is slumping. He is playing inconsistently (compared to last year especially). The defense isn't doing him any favors but he is letting in goals that he wouldn't have last year. And to top it all off he did not have that great of a post-season run last year, even after a great performance in the regular season. Will he get better with experience? Maybe. But I'm not going to have a blind assumption that Howard and the team will do well in the playoffs just because the contrary would make me seem a pessimist to some posters.

Saying a player is inconsistent in the playoffs after one playoff run is throwing him under the bus. Remember, it's his second year in the league. Any rookie would have been wiped out last season after starting so many games down the stretch. Too much was asked of Howard last season.

You won't blindly assume that Howard will improve but you are more than ready to blindly assume that he will be awful, regular season and playoffs.

Once again, team defense isn't the only thing that is the issue here. Howard HAS NOT BEEN DOING AS WELL AS HE CAN AND SHOULD BE DOING.

Here come those unrealistic expectations for goaltending again. Howard is not Lundqvist. Howard is not Luongo. Howard is not Thomas. Howard is a $2.25 million goaltender. Does he have some issues? Of course he does. Every goaltender in the league does. But to act like Howard is playing so far off of what he normally does is irrational. The days of Hasek are done but you would think they never ended.

Tell me what I made up. You are ignoring Howard's struggles and saying "but the defense!" over and over again. That is a misinterpretation of the facts. I have stated multiple times this season the issues of the defense. But the defense is not the only reason Howard's numbers are so mediocre. Howard is another reason.

Made up is the fact that you keep saying that I am ignoring Howard's "struggles." This all started after I replied to a post that said in order for Howard to have playoff success the offense must score often. I found this to be completely irrational and respond with the simple truth that the defense must play better. I hardly call that ignoring anything and fighting stupidity.

Howard has been giving up what seems to be more rebounds this season. I would like him to work on that in the off season so that he can limit them in his third full season in the NHL next year. That being said, it is still the responsibility of the defense to watch for rebounds and clear them while trying to limit the penetration of the opposing team into the slot to collect those rebounds. You can only win as a team.

The Jimmy Howard watch hate thread continues.

[stevkrause 1,247]

Bolded for truth.

And if it's all on the defense last night, how come Joey Mac essentially pitched a shutout in regular and OT? And before anyone says, "Well, he only faced 10 shots on goal!", Jimmy faced, what, 15? That's five more...and out of those five more shots, he gave up four goals.

No one I know blamed Cujo for those playoff losses. He played out of his mind, especially in that OT game against Calgary.

As I already touched on, Howard was HORRIBLE last night, but his overall body of work has been very good and people blame him WAY too much...

As for CuJo, the people you know are the minority then... all you had to do was listen to sports talk radio at the time and the sheer idiocy spewing from people's mouths in regards to the goaltending situation was enough to drive a logical person insane... he was a MAJOR scapegoat those years and many were basically calling for his head, and that was the main reason that the whole Hasek 2.0 project happened when his groin was still ailing and we already had a goalie... that situation was one of the few black marks on an otherwise pristine Red Wings front office over the last 20 years...

Edited March 22, 2011 by stevkrause

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

Bolded for truth.

And if it's all on the defense last night, how come Joey Mac essentially pitched a shutout in regular and OT? And before anyone says, "Well, he only faced 10 shots on goal!", Jimmy faced, what, 15? That's five more...and out of those five more shots, he gave up four goals.

I don't think anyone blamed the defense last night.

No one I know blamed Cujo for those playoff losses. He played out of his mind, especially in that OT game against Calgary.

You must not know a lot of people because it was an overarching theme that CuJo wasn't good enough to be in Detroit. It was really sad and infuriating.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I don't think anyone blamed the defense last night.

You must not know a lot of people because it was an overarching theme that CuJo wasn't good enough to be in Detroit. It was really sad and infuriating.

I wish I could + this post twice...

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Saying a player is inconsistent in the playoffs after one playoff run is throwing him under the bus. Remember, it's his second year in the league. Any rookie would have been wiped out last season after starting so many games down the stretch. Too much was asked of Howard last season.

You won't blindly assume that Howard will improve but you are more than ready to blindly assume that he will be awful, regular season and playoffs.

I am ready to not be confident in the Wings in the playoffs for numerous reasons. Howard's slump this season is but one facet of that lack of confidence. Another would be the overall play of the team since New Years.

Here come those unrealistic expectations for goaltending again. Howard is not Lundqvist. Howard is not Luongo. Howard is not Thomas. Howard is a $2.25 million goaltender. Does he have some issues? Of course he does. Every goaltender in the league does. But to act like Howard is playing so far off of what he normally does is irrational. The days of Hasek are done but you would think they never ended.

I'm not asking for Howard to dominate games. I'm asking him to be consistent and tighten up a bit. He hasn't done that and it has shown in his stats.

Made up is the fact that you keep saying that I am ignoring Howard's "struggles." This all started after I replied to a post that said in order for Howard to have playoff success the offense must score often. I found this to be completely irrational and respond with the simple truth that the defense must play better. I hardly call that ignoring anything and fighting stupidity.

Well the defense playing better in an of itself is not going to save the Wings playoff chances.

Howard has been giving up what seems to be more rebounds this season. I would like him to work on that in the off season so that he can limit them in his third full season in the NHL next year. That being said, it is still the responsibility of the defense to watch for rebounds and clear them while trying to limit the penetration of the opposing team into the slot to collect those rebounds. You can only win as a team.

The Jimmy Howard watch hate thread continues.

I'm not hating on Howard. I'm giving my analysis of his play. Didn't know negativity meant you were hating on the guy, but this is LGW.

[kook_10 1,705]

Howie is more of a bad fit with the Wings D-Corps than he is a bad goalie. Conversely, the D isn't as bad as Howie sometimes make them look - they are just not as equipped as other teams to put guys on their ass when he leaves a rebound out there. That is why I think Jimmy could have a more successful career in a place with more physical defense. I'm afraid that his style may be set. If that is the case, I think he would do better somewhere else, but I am willing to give him the chance to ride out his new contract and hopefully adapt to the team.

[Guest Howard He Do It?!]

I am ready to not be confident in the Wings in the playoffs for numerous reasons. Howard's slump this season is but one facet of that lack of confidence. Another would be the overall play of the team since New Years.

I'm not asking for Howard to dominate games. I'm asking him to be consistent and tighten up a bit. He hasn't done that and it has shown in his stats.

Well the defense playing better in an of itself is not going to save the Wings playoff chances.

I'm not hating on Howard. I'm giving my analysis of his play. Didn't know negativity meant you were hating on the guy, but this is LGW.

Please stop acting like you are being oppressed for expressing some negativity towards Howard. We both know it's not true. There is a difference between being oppressed and being disagreed with.