Detroit Red Wings Goalies Suffering due to Lockout -NHL Update
Everyone associated with North American hockey in any way is certainly suffering from the work stoppage that has lasted for over two months now, but without a doubt, goalies are the ones to suffer most in terms of staying sharp, and Detroit Red Wings’ net
minders are not ashamed to admit the truth.
Players in other positions on the ice have a much easier time finding work abroad due to the numerous opportunities, but with goalies, the story is entirely different as finding a top level spot anywhere is close to impossible.
Detroit Red Wings Jimmy Howard and backup goalie, Jonas Gustavsson certainly know that keeping up to date with practice is extremely crucial to staying sharp while they are not contenting in exhibition matchups, but it still is not enough to keep their skills
at par.
"Definitely it's a lot different compared to the normal practices we're used to," Howard said after a workout last week, according to Detroit News. "Playing these cross-ice games, even though they're fun, they're just not realistic."
"You keep that competitive fire burning inside of you and try to stop as many pucks as possible," he added. "It's more along the lines of timing and picking up the puck through traffic, that's the hardest part out here.”
Jimmy Howard, a 28-year-old native of Syracuse, New York, United States, was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings using their 64th overall pick during round-two of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He has performed in six straight season with the major league
club up until now and boasts 192 games played, with 110 wins and 54 losses along with an overall save percentage of .917 and 2.41 goals-against average.
Jonas Gustavsson on the other hand, was undrafted and is a native of Danderyd, Sweden, and has three seasons under his belt with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is yet to play with the Detroit Red Wings. He was acquired by Detroit over the offseason and hopes
to see the day soon when he will be able to carry a team like the Red Wings.
In total, Gustavsson has played in 107 matchups and has a .900 save percentage and 2.98 goals-against average to his name.
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