Veteran goalie Jimmy Howard will announce his retirement from the NHL in the coming days, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada.
Howard, who turns 37 in March, spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings but was a free agent after not having his contract renewed by the team.
The Syracuse, N.Y. native took over the full-time starting goalie role in Detroit in the 2009-10 season, immediately following back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances by the club. That year, he finished runner-up to Tyler Myers in Calder Trophy voting as the NHL's top rookie. After 11 consecutive years as the primary starter in Detroit, injuries and the play of Jonathan Bernier saw Howard only appear in 27 games last season, his final year in the league.
In all, Howard appeared in 543 regular season games for the Red Wings and posted a 246-196-70 record with 24 shutouts and a .912 save percentage. His games played and wins totals are both third in franchise history behind only Terry Sawchuk and Chris Osgood. Howard also appeared in 48 playoff games for the Red Wings, and led them to the second round on three separate occasions.
