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BONUS CONTENT Digital Edition OCTOBER 2017 2017-18 NHL Preview 33 By Philip Colvin A fter missing nearly three months of the NHL regular season with a knee injury, Jimmy Howard wasn't ready to hang up his goalie gear when his Detroit Red Wings missing the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. So, when Team USA called with an invitation to play at the 2017 IIHF Men's World Championship in Cologne, Germany, the seven-year NHL veteran jumped at the chance. "I wanted to keep playing because I was out for so long I didn't want the season to be finished," said the Ogdensburg, N.Y., native. "The knee felt good and I was glad Team USA wanted to take me on." Howard played in six games in the tournament and helped the U.S. squad make a run to the quar- terfinals before being knocked out by Finland. He finished with four wins, a 1.86 goals against average and .920 save percentage. "It's a special honor to be able t o c o m p e t e f o r y o u r c o u n t r y, a n d p l a y i n g i n E u r o p e w a s a n a m a z i n g e x p e r i e n c e ," Howa r d said after wrapping up his sec- ond experience at a Men's World Championship tournament. He was also a member of the 2003 U.S National Junior Team and the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team. Howard's history with USA Hockey started when he spent the 2001-02 season in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the National Team Development Program. He was a member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team that won the gold medal at the 2002 IIHF World Under-18 Championship under the tutelage of head coach Mike Eaves and assistant coach John Hynes. "In that one year, I learned so much about hockey – not just goal- tending – but the whole game," he recalled. "Being 17-years old we'd compete against college teams and we even won the odd game. It made for a lot of fun." That squad included future NHLers, including Ryan Kesler, David Booth, Matt Carle, Mark Stuart and Patrick Eaves, the coach's son. "Coach Eaves was super hard on us, but he is one of my most favorite coaches that I have played for," Howard said. "He pushed us every single day because I think he realized our potential and what we could do." P "IT'S A SPECIAL HONOR to be able to compete for your country, and playing in Europe was an amazing experience..." –JIMMY HOWARD USA VETERAN compete compete