ORONO – Flipping through highlights of the National Hockey League’s preseason games this past week, many Maine hockey fans might have noticed a familiar face.
Jimmy Howard, who holds multiple goaltending records at the University of Maine, appeared several times.
The problem for Maine fans hoping to see him patrol the nets at Alfond Arena this season, though, is that he was wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey.
Howard elected to turn professional this summer, following his junior season with the Black Bears.
“Certainly, without Jimmy Howard, and I won’t pretend that it’s not a big loss for us, but at the same time we’re very driven right now to prove that this can be a special season,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead.
In addition to Matt Lundin, who saw action in just nine games last season while backing up Howard, the Maineiacs have recruited 6-foot-5-inch Ben Bishop, whom the St. Louis Blues selected in this year’s NHL draft.
“We have two great young prospects, both of them are 86 birthdays,” said Whitehead. “We believe in them both, of course, since we recruited them both. We feel we have some good guys there and we realize that we’re going to have to be patient.
“Jimmy Howard, in his freshman year, had a lot of ups and downs, and now he’s an elite NHL player, so I think that’s a good indication that we’re going to have to live with some ups and downs.”
Lundin, just a sophomore, and Bishop, a freshman, will likely experience some growing pains, but both seem ready to accept the challenge ahead.
“I was preparing myself to play whether (Howard) stayed or left,” said Bishop.
“When I found out he was leaving, it didn’t affect me too much,”
“His numbers are going to be tough to match,” admitted Lundin. “But I learned a lot from him last year, too, and I really get into games, I get into the crowd, almost more than he did. It’s a fun game to play and I enjoy it.”
Bishop dwarfs Lundin in stature, at 6-foot-5-inches and 205 pounds, and that size has Whitehead and even Lundin optimistic that the young goaltender will make the jump smoothly.
“To have a guy that fills the net well, that never hurts,” said Whitehead. “If a puck hits you on the toe that otherwise might have gone in, that’s a bonus.”
“His butterfly is actually better in general because he’s so tall,” Lundin added. “So we kind of have the same style, but we kind of don’t.”
And as for a rivalry, both goaltenders appear to get along well, and the healthy competition will only serve to make them better as the year progresses.
“We get along great right now, and the goal here is to be the next tandem here that people are talking about.”
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