Notes: Howard eager to start the preseason

TRAVERSE CITY --It was an eventful offseason for Red Wings starting goalie Jimmy Howard.
Howard became a father for the third time, welcoming his first daughter into the family. He was beaming all summer after Olivia's birth, admitting she instantly became daddy's little girl.

Perhaps it's the Olivia effect on Howard, because he seems to be as laid back and happy as he has ever been as a Red Wing.
"It's been going good," Howard told reporters after the fourth day of training camp at Centre Ice Arena. "I feel I've gotten better every single day on the ice and more and more comfortable on the ice in my new equipment, the new chest protector and all that. I'm looking forward to finishing up here tomorrow (Tuesday) and getting into games."
When he first joined the Wings full-time in the 2009-10 season, Howard shared the net with Chris Osgood and a tight bond developed between them.
They remain close and Osgood is still a sounding board for Howard when he needs to work through the ups and downs of the game.
This year he has a new goaltending partner in Jonathan Bernier, who has said he's here to push Howard and he expects Howard to push him in a healthy, competitive way.
"We need to have that working relationship, we have to push each other, but at the same time we're teammates, we've got to support each other," Howard said when told about Bernier's comments. "We've got to be there for each other to bounce things off, because at the end of the day, we're the ones sitting back there and sometimes it can feel like you're on an island. So it's important to have a partner you can bounce stuff off of."
Last season Howard was a workhorse for the Wings, appearing in 60 games. It was the most games he's played since he backstopped Detroit in 63 games in back-to-back seasons, 2009-10 through 2010-11.
As much as Howard likes to play, Wings coach Jeff Blashill would like to see him play fewer games this upcoming season, especially with Bernier on the team.
"Jimmy has been a really good goalie for us for two years without question, but I had to overwork him last year. I'd like to stay away from any one goalie playing 60 games," Blashill said. "I'd like it to be closer to that 50-30 split because the games are so close. They got to be in on their game so much, there's zero room for error at the goaltending position on our hockey team that if you get to a 50-30 split, it makes more sense.
"But I'm also going to watch. Ultimately, guys decide who plays more based on their play over a long period of time. But certainly, I think Jimmy has been great for us for two years."
While Howard is forging a new relationship with Bernier, there's one relationship that has come to end.
With Henrik Zetterberg announcing his playing days are over due to a degenerative back condition, Howard was wistful when asked about the loss of Detroit's captain.
"We've become great friends. For me personally, I'm going to miss him just seeing him around every single day," Howard said. "Whether we're joking around or getting a workout on the ice. I'm going to miss his competitiveness day in and day out.
"He's one of the best on and off the ice to ever wear the winged wheel, so I wish him nothing but the best in the future."
Without the leadership of Zetterberg present on a daily basis, does the veteran netminder plan to become a more active leader in the Red Wings room?
"I think for me it's just going out there and doing it right," Howard said. "It's a little bit different, I don't know what it's like to take a body check or something like that, so for me it's just about going there and doing my role for the day."
This year's camp has been as competitive and intense as Howard can remember and he welcomes the fierce attitude.
"The competition level is really ramped up to years past and rightfully so," he said. "We've missed the playoffs two years in a row, jobs should be on the line."
NYQUIST ADJUSTS WITHOUT ZETTERBERG: For most of his seven-year Red Wings career, right wing Gustav Nyquist has had Zetterberg as his centerman.
This year, with Zetterberg permanently on the shelf, Nyquist is going through a transitional period.
"(I) obviously enjoyed playing with him. He made life easier out there. Just an unbelievable player, unbelievable person," Nyquist said. "As much as I'll miss playing with him on the ice, I'll miss having him around off the ice. We're very tight.
"I'm hoping he'll be around the rink still a little bit to see us, but right now it's for him to be able to live life in a good way after hockey, with what he's gone through and battled through, it's impressive and obviously one of the best Red Wings to play for this organization."
Nyquist has been on a line with Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm and he's pleased with the chemistry the trio is developing during camp.
"You just get (a) new combination," was how Nyquist responded about life without Zetterberg. "Paired up with Frans and Helmer at the start. I like playing with Frans in the middle. Really smart player, two-way guy. We're going to be good when he's out there sorting things out. He can score goals and make plays in the O-zone."
This is a gigantic year for Nyquist. He is in the last year of his four-year, $19 million deal, but he's not feeling the pressure, even though there hasn't been any discussion with the Wings about a contract extension.
"Obviously, a little different situation for me personally, but it's not something I think about," Nyquist said. "Every year I come in and just try to be the best player I can be. No different this year. I'm just going to try to be as good a player as I can be.
"Hopefully be a little more of a leader out there, too, with a lot of young guys coming up. Big year for me and big year for the team. We want to make a statement this year and be better than what people think we can be."
ABDELKADER RETURNS TO CAMP:If Justin Abdelkader wanted to forego the rest of training camp in Traverse City, there would be very few who could blame him.
Abdelkader left Red Wings training camp to return home to Detroit to his be with his wife as she was about to give birth to the couple's first child.
On September 14, Detroit's alternate captain became a father to son Jaxon Joseph.
And two days later, Abdelkader was back in Traverse City going through training camp with his teammates.
"I heard the skate test was today, so I didn't want to miss that," Abdelkader joked. "Obviously, first order of importance is making sure mom and baby were good. We got released yesterday afternoon and once I knew everything was good and settled at home, it would be good to get up here and get some skates and be with the guys for the last couple of days and leading into preseason.
"It's one thing to have three days off but five days feels like a lot. I could have worked out but wouldn't have had the skates. It was good to get out here with the guys. It's always tough leaving baby and mom at home but she has some help with my parents and her parents close. That was another thing that helped me to be able to get back up here."
As far as there being any significance to the name Jaxon, Abdelkader said it was a name he and his wife, Julie, liked.
"We've been tossing around some names since we found out and that was one we always liked and came back to," Abdelkader said. "Both of us are Js (his and his wife's first names). That kind of got us started on Js.
"When we first started looking at names we were like, 'What would be some J names we could go with possibly?' Jaxon was one that always kept creeping to the top of our list. We were between two and three. But when we saw him born, that's the one we thought would fit him best."