This election season it’s all about voting Jimmy Howard

Far be it from me to say any of the goaltending brethren don’t belong on the All-Star ballot, but Jimmy Howard’s exclusion raises the debate. I mean, Howard leads the NHL in wins, is second in goals-against and has been the most consistent of all starters thus far. And unlike Brian Elliott and his otherworldly season to date, this is Howard’s third consecutive season posting big numbers. In St. Louis, the thought was Elliott, hopefully, could back up Jaroslav Halak who, by the way, is on the All-Star ballot.

Which is kind of the point. Nothing against Halak, but he isn’t even the top performer on his team. His last two seasons as a starter didn’t yield 30 wins, or playoff appearances. Meanwhile, Howard has two straight 37-win campaigns on which he is building. It is the perfect scenario to at least get ballot recognition. I know, body of work goes a long way in these fan-voting events – thus the inclusion of Nik Khabibulin in Edmonton, Miikka Kiprusoff in Calgary and Tomas Vokoun in DC. None of these guys have been truly relevant in ages. They play a lot and have served as legitimate No. 1 netminders for a long time. Got it.

But, how then do you explain James Reimer for the Maple Leafs? Injured most of the current season, his body of work is a nice half-season showing for an out-of-contention team. Good start to his NHL career and good for the Leafs to have found hope in goal, but All-Star? Yes, you will find Reimer’s name on the All-Star ballot, but not Howard’s. Again, nothing against James Reimer, or the trio of vets I mentioned above. This is about Jimmy Howard’s omission. What does it stem from? Well, it probably has little to do with Howard and more to do with being the starter for the Red Wings. It is a tough position in the scope of Detroit sports. Ask Chris Osgood. He won championships and posted 401 career wins and still people will say the winning had more to do with the teams being strong  than his excellence.

Howard inherits that hard-to-please mantel in Motown as the Red Wings’ go-to goaltender. He has handled the job remarkably well. That local hard-to-please perspective may have impacted the larger view, specifically All-Star ballot inclusion. The best part is that the “snub” has had a galvanizing impact on the fan base, with WRIF drive-time host Meltdown organizing a grassroots write-in campaign on Howard’s behalf. At the very least, Howard not being on the ballot has sparked more positive talk about his outstanding play than usual. And that is a good thing.

To join Meltdown’s campaign and cast your vote for Jimmy Howard, go to vote.nhl.com. After all, recognition, even if grudgingly, has to begin at home.