Let’s face it. It’s been a long time since the Red Wings had a legitimate stud goalie under the age of 30. Hell, it’s been a long time since the Wings had a stud goalie, period. Now don’t get me wrong: I’ve always thought that Chris Osgood is extremely underrated, and will be in the Hall of Fame someday (take that, doubters!). But he was never the type of goalie that was going to steal a series in the playoffs for the Wings, or even win it on his own. He was the type of goalie that made the right save at the right time. Look at the goalies the Red Wings have used since they began their streak of playoff appearances: Tim Cheveldae, Greg Millen, Vincent Riendeau, Bob Essensa, Mike Vernon, Chris Osgood, Manny Legace, Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph, and Jimmy Howard. Out of that group, how many of those goalies would be considered elite? Hasek for sure, and maybe Joseph, but they got both of those guys at the end of their careers, not in their prime. Osgood, unfortunately, has always had his detractors for being an average goalie on a great team (nevermind that other “average” goalies never won shit with the Wings, but that’s another discussion). But this year, Jimmy took the reins of the team and became the de facto #1 goalie for the Wings.
At the beginning of the year, there were still people (myself included) who doubted whether Howard was ever going to succeed with the Wings. It seemed like he was given countless opportunities to win the backup job, yet the Wings kept going out and signing Manny Legace and Ty Conklin to back up Osgood or Hasek. This year, the only reason Howard was given the job was because they couldn’t afford Conklin due to the cap. I remember thinking at the beginning of the year that if Howard could give them 20-30 good games, I’d be happy, because obviously Ozzie was going to rebound from his awful play last year in the regular season.
Jimmy gets his first start against the Blues in Sweden, and gives up a soft goal. Hey, that happens to the best of them. Just bear down and…..shit, Jimmy, really? The same goal a few seconds later? I’ll be honest, I was yelling some nasty things at the TV, and the words “fucking rookie bitch” escaped my mouth at least 5 times that afternoon. I was not exactly filled with confidence that Howard was going to win a game, let alone carry this team through the season.
Then a funny thing happened: Osgood sucked ass. Be honest; he never looked “right” this season. Personally, I think the 400 win mark was getting to him, and he was trying way too hard. Ozzie gets pulled in Vancouver, and in comes Howard. And Howard looked good. He gets the start the next night; he gives up 5 goals against the Oilers. But after that, a funny thing happened: he kept getting better, and I could not get why. About halfway through January I realized that this kid was doing something special. I no longer penciled the other team in for 4 goals just because Jimmy was starting. It was a nice feeling. We all remember the run he went on after the Olympics, where it seemed that he, like the Wings, were unbeatable. He ended the season 37-15-10 with a 2.26 GAA, 924 SV% and 3 SO. Keep in mind, those numbers are better than Steve Mason’s last year (except for the SO) when Mason won the Calder Trophy. Jimmy has been nominated for the Calder this year, but people say he’s too old (who cares) and that he was on a good team (uh, when they were healthy). Personally, I think Myers is going to win the Calder, but that’s only because he’s a defenseman who put up ridiculous numbers.
The playoffs started, and let me ask you something: were you nervous about Jimmy being a rookie? Strangely, I wasn’t. I had no doubts that he was going to perform well and keep the Wings in games. I never got the sense that he was a real weakness, and throughout the first round, he looked pretty good. He was a little shaky in the first couple of games, but then he pitched the SO in Game 4 and looked great in Game 5. Game 6 was not his fault, and he didn’t really have to do anything in Game 7. Against the Sharks, he was the victim from some poor play in front of him and some mental lapses (Couture’s tying goal in Game 3 is a goal that I am sure will haunt/motivate him for years). All in all, the Wings were not eliminated because of Jimmy; were it not for him, Game 5 would have been a complete blowout.
So, what does this mean for the future? Hopefully, good things. I’m always wary of the sophomore slump (Steve Mason, Cam Ward), so you just never know. Now that Jimmy’s had a full season, other teams will be more aware of his weaknesses; in other words, every team will try and get the game to the shootout. If I had one criticism of Jimmy, it’s that he sucks balls in shootouts. How can a guy who played for that many years in the AHL, where they have had the shootout longer than in the NHL, be so bad at them? Maybe Zetterberg and Howard should have a little 1-on-1 practice this summer. I’m happy with where the Wings’ goaltending situation is right now. We’ve got Ozzie for one more season, and I think the offseason will be good for him to refocus and get back on track. I want to see him get to 400 wins so badly; I think it would really mark him as a legitimately great goalie. After next season, I expect Ozzie to retire, paving the way for McCollum to come up and assume the mantle of backup. By then, Jimmy will have a Calder and a Vezina under his belt to go with his Conn Smythe and Cup ring. The future is bright in the Detroit net for the foreseeable future.
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