OGDENSBURG, N.Y. -- In June, Ogdensburg native Jimmy Howard did something he could only dream of. As a member of the Detroit Red Wings, Howard helped win the prize of all prizes for hockey players, Lord Stanley's Cup. It was a night he'll never forget.
"It was just total chaos, well organized chaos," Howard said, sitting next to the cup. "Just unbelievable. Just guys running every which way trying to get their families down there so you can share it with them. It was pretty wild."
Howard only played in four regular season games with the Wings. He spent the majority of the season with Detroit's AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids, where he was an all-star. That helped him earn a spot on the roster when the Wings made their run to the cup and now he's able to do what all NHL champions do by spending a day with the Stanley Cup. He shared the joy with the whole city of Ogdensburg, bringing the cup to several schools and a marina in the city.
It's not every day the most historic and recognizable sports trophy in the world comes to the area, but one of the North Country's own helped the Detroit Red Wings hockey team win the Stanley Cup. As our Brian Dwyer reports, the goalie is sharing the moment with everyone.
"To have this opportunity for hundreds of students, these are memories that are going to last a lifetime. We're certainly delighted to have the opportunity and it's certainly a feather in our cap for the school district and the city of Ogdensburg," Ogdensburg City School District Superintendent Hal Barry said.
"It's truly something special. It just goes to show if you have a dream and you set goals and want to accomplish something, you can," Howard added.
Howard just recently signed a three-year extension with Detroit. He's hoping to win the backup job there next season. He says if he does, he'll be excited to play a much more important role in what he hopes will be another run at the cup.
Howard hopes to earn that shot at the backup job when Red Wings training camp starts in a couple of weeks.