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PHOTO BY Getty Images 30 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM 2017-18 NHL Preview AFTER SEVEN NHL SEASONS, 220 career wins and more than 11,000 saves, Detroit Red Wings goal- tender Jimmy Howard decided his game needed an overhaul. His success in Detroit was built around an aggressive, all-in-on-the-first-shot athletic style that some- times left him out of posi- t i o n t o st o p a r e b o u n d or prevent a quick pass turning into a scoring chance. With 400 plus NHL games under his belt, Howard realized that to continue to thrive in the best league in the world, he would have to change the way he played in the net. "The speed of the game has gotten so fast and every single guy can shoot the puck, shoot it hard and shoot it quick," sa i d How a r d , t h e R e d W i n g s s e c o n d round pick (64th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. "I felt that I needed to reel myself back in and not play as aggres- sive as I did early on in my NHL career." T h a t 's w h e n H o w a r d e n l i s t e d Je f f Salajko, now the Red Wings goaltending coach, to help him retool his game to stay relevant. "Jimmy asked me ' What do I have to do to stay in this league? Because I am willing to do it,'" Salajko recalled. "He was motivated, he was hungry. We made a plan and went at it." Howard had always spent time refining his game and improving his fitness and flexibility, but this was different. Salajko worked with him on being patient, staying on his feet from Point A to Point B and TIMES CHANGING WITH THE