Red Wings alumnus Jimmy Howard appeared on the “Cam & Strick Podcast” early on Wednesday morning, and the “Cam & Strick” Twitter account revealed a bit of a typically Babcockian tale.
According to Howard, at the end of his rookie campaign, Babcock made sure to tell the media that he was going to vote for Tyler Myers as the Calder Trophy winner, instead of his own goaltender (thankfully, coaches don’t get a vote in the Calder Trophy rankings):
Mike Babcock “voted” against his own goalie to win rookie of the year 😳⬇️
— The Cam & Strick Podcast (@CamandStrick) August 6, 2024
🎧: https://t.co/usZ5iG0pKG
📺: https://t.co/V7FyiyM9ZM pic.twitter.com/cGs6Db9pXo
If you missed the podcast video/audio, Jimmy Howard appears at the 1 hour and 40 minute mark:
Update: The Detroit News reports that Howard also earns credit for one moment in a superb career more often than he feels is necessary:
On the current edition of the Cam & Strick Podcast, featuring former NHLer Cam Janssen and St. Louis Blues TV host Andy Strickland, Howard recounted the incident at the end of a 3-1 victory against Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins at Joe Louis Arena on March 22, 2010.
“He (Crosby) was going after Z (Henrik Zetterberg) behind the play,” Howard said on the podcast. “Nobody was coming to Z’s aid. Well, we’ve got this one wrapped up. The horn has gone. I might as well get in there.
“Am I ever glad that Todd Bertuzzi got between me and Billy G (Guerin). I saw Billy G come flying off the top rope. I was like, ‘Don’t get me. Don’t get me. Where’s the linesman? Get in here please?’
“I guess that’s my claim to fame in Detroit. That’s what’s brought up all the time. They ask, ‘Remember the time you facewashed Crosby?’ Like seriously, that’s the only thing you remember? I know I didn’t have a Hall of Fame career by any means but geez, but I mixed in a couple of saves every now and then.”
In 543 regular-season NHL games, Howard, a second-round draft pick from the University of Maine in 2003, had 246 wins, 24 shutouts, a 2.62 goals against average and a .912 save percentage.
In 48 playoff games with the Red Wings, he had a record of 21-26 with three shutouts, a 2.58 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.
Good times:
