Red Wings Prospect Rudy Guimond Credits Former Detroit Goalie For His Hockey Journey
Detroit Red Wings prospect goaltender Rudy Guimond, who was the top goaltender in the QMJHL in 2025-26, said it was former Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard who inspired his own goaltending journey.
While much of the attention regarding the future of Detroit Red Wings goaltending now rests on the shoulders of Trey Augustine following the trade of Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth, another young goaltender in the system wants to make a name for himself.
Rudy Guimond, whom Detroit selected in the sixth round (169th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, spent this past season with the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats, where he showcased his impressive talent.
However, it was a former Red Wings goaltender, known for wearing a distinctive pad design throughout much of his career, who inspired Guimond to pursue the position in the first place.
"I met Jimmy Howard yesterday, and he was the reason I got into the goaltending," Guimond said following the second day of Red Wings Development Camp. "He had these Vaughn pads with Icebergs on them, and as a kid, you kind of look at what you see, right?"
While Howard initially began his professional career wearing Reebok pads, he switched to the eye-popping Iceberg design from Vaughn, a popular brand that Chris Osgood wore for much of his career.
Howard kept that design from 2009 through 2014, and it became known as his signature look. While Guimond wasn't able to convince his father to pay for customized pads as a youngster, Howard's gear still left an indelible impression on him.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
"I thought it was really cool and wanted to get into goaltending," he said. "Obviously, my dad didn't want to pay for custom stuff when I was that age, so I never got those Vaughn Iceberg pads."
Howard, who now serves as the goaltending coach for PWHL Detroit, ranks third all-time in total Red Wings victories for a goaltender behind only Osgood and Terry Sawchuk.
Meanwhile, Guimond said he also wants to pattern his game after former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who was recently announced as a Hall of Fame inductee for the Class of 2026.
"Obviously, growing up in Montreal, watching Carey Price, he was the guy I wanted to emulate, and how he was calm, cool, and collected in almost every situation," Guimond said.
Appearing in 50 games, Guimond led all QMJHL goaltenders with 40 victories while posting a league-best 2.27 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage, eventually earning the Patrick-Roy Trophy as Goaltender of the Year.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
