Notes: Offseason helps Jimmy Howard enter training camp at his 'best' in years
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Jimmy Howard chuckled while remembering his posture towards the end of last season.
"If you see me walking around in February or March my knees are inward, my shoulders are forward," Howard said.
When he wasn't spending time with his wife and two young sons this summer, Howard was focusing on getting his shoulders and hips back into place by incorporating more body-specific movements into his training regimen.
So far, it has paid off.
"This is the best I've felt in two or three seasons heading into training camp," Howard said. "I'm really excited to get going."
Howard's revamped workout routine isn't the only reason he's feeling healthier this offseason, though.
Detroit's early departure from the playoffs, while disappointing, extended the Red Wings' summer and gave them more time to recover from the plethora of injuries they endured throughout last season.
Also, it's been a while since Howard -- like all NHL players -- has enjoyed a normal work schedule due to the lockout-shortened season two years ago and the 2014 Winter Olympics.
"It's tough because last year you don't get a lot of practice time, so when things sort of slip on you, it's tough to get it back," Howard said. "You're playing every single night pretty much and you're trying to find that practice time, so that was a little different.
"But it's nice to be able to be back in a normal season. Seems like we haven't played one in a while and I'm excited for it."
Howard is hoping to improve upon the 2013-14 season, in which he went 21-19 with a 2.66 GAA and .910 SV%.
Coach Mike Babcock expects every one of his players to be "every-dayers" and knows Howard's dedication during the summer has given the goaltender an opportunity to have a strong 2014-15 season.
"You train and you earn the right to feel good about yourself through your training, through your work ethic, through your eating habits," Babcock said. "Through all those things, I think you got a way better chance for success.
"Like all players, if you can get off to a good start, it builds confidence for you. That's the key for him and everybody else."
Howard hasn't changed the technical part of his game, and continues to polish and refine his technique so he can help the Wings make a deep run in the 2015 playoffs. In order for that to happen, though, Howard must be at his best every night.
"It (last season) wasn't up to my standards," Howard said. "I set the bar there pretty high for myself, and I want to hit that bar and push a little harder each year."
NHL RULE CHANGES
The NHL made a few rule changes during the offseason, including new overtime procedures. Teams will now switch ends in overtimes, during which time the surface will get a dry scrape. The change is designed to give each team a long change, making it more difficult to alter lines.
The new rules are popular among the Red Wings.
"A lot of the games will not go to the shootout, I think. If you have that four-on-four and the long change, you will get caught out there and end up in your own end," captain Henrik Zetterberg said. "Four-on-four, there's so much more room, and when you have the puck and the other team is tired, you will get the opportunity to score goals."
Center Stephen Weiss agreed.
"I hope more games end in overtime because shootouts we had a tough time with them last year, and it might have saved us playing Boston in the first round if we had done better in the shootout," Weiss said. "So if we can end more games in overtime, it will only help us out."
BIG E'S RETURN
Niklas Kronwall has his old defensive partner back on the ice.
After fracturing his finger in mid-March, defenseman Jonathan Ericsson missed the remainder of the Wings' season, and Kronwall is glad to have him back.
"He's a huge part of the team," Kronwall said. "Anytime we can have a big guy like that who moves the puck, sees the ice and his huge on the PK.
"He's good in the room, he's a leader on the team and he's played for us for many years. Getting a guy like that back is almost like you've traded for a big defenseman who can move the puck and do all of those things."
