With the Czech Republics elimination of Team Slovakiaand with it, forwards Tomas Tatar and Tomas Jurco's participationand Henrik Zetterbergs herniated disc forcing him off Team Swedens roster, the Detroit Red Wings' Olympic representation has been whittled down from 10 to seven players http://www.detroitredwingsgears.com/Stev...ngs_Jersey.However, of the remaining players, only six will be taking part in on-ice completion.As the tournament progresses into the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, Team USA goalie Jimmy Howard figures to be just another spectator.Howards status as a third option behind goalies Ryan Miller and Jonathan Quick was established as soon as his selection to Team USA was announcedso that hes suited up only to ride pine in Sochi is hardly a surprise.<p>Winter Olympics Blog: No surprise, but Team USA hockey announces Jonathan Quick to start in goal in quarterfinal: http://t.co/zqdW8CDOjI Andy Clayton February 18, 2014However, now that Quick is the presumptive starter for Team USA, Miller will be the one occupying Howards spot on the bench, moving the Detroit goaltender to the press box.What this means is, barring injury or some catastrophic collapse in net, Howards Team USA participation is essentially over.Is this a good thing or a bad thing for the Detroit Red Wings?One could argue that Howard, and by extension the Red Wings, is benefiting simply by getting the physical and mental rest that hes been afforded by not suiting up for game duty for Team USA.The mental wear and tear of regular NHL action is significant, but add to that a compact schedule and the expectations of an entire country bearing down on your team, and the strain becomes even greater.Then again, its unlikely that the Los Angeles Kings are lamenting Quicks as being the No. 1 netminder for Team USA.Not only is he staying sharp by playing ever more meaningful games for his team, hes potentially leading Team USA to a gold-medal finish that would yield another coveted piece of hardware to lay next to his Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophies.Perhaps Howard is actually rotting away in Sochi.After all, keeping focus when facing a minimal amount of shots during a single game is a challenging task for a goaliehow much tougher is it to be healthy yet removed from meaningful game action for two weeks in a foreign country?While the rest of the Detroit Red Wings team not exported to Sochi is getting some comfortable rest and relaxation http://www.detroitredwingsgears.com/Joha...ngs_Jersey, Howard is now essentially stuck in Russia, forced to become a spectator along with everyone else.<p>Sochi Olympics: Even as third-stringer, Detroit Red Wings Jimmy Howard ... http://t.co/SU3xwjXtAJ Red Wings Update February 15, 2014As the Red Wings will need Howard to play better than he has all season the remainder of the schedule to have any hope of making the playoffs, is sitting in Sochi really the best use of his time?Honestly, there may be no better place for him to be at this point.While Howards chance of playing a single second of meaningful hockey outside of Detroit is minuscule http://www.detroitredwingsgears.com/Nick...ngs_Jersey, the experience of being a part of a gold-medal-contending team is sure to focus his resolve to be the best player he can be when he once again puts on his Red Wings jersey.Howard is in the unique position of taking a break from the constant pressure of winning while still being smack dab in the middle of it. He may not be personally responsible for winning gold, but hes still a part of a team that will view anything less as failure.For a competitive athlete, that atmosphere can be more energizing than any number of warm, sandy environs.Resting or rotting, which perspective is truly accurate wont be known until the puck drops Feb. 26 in Montreal, where the Red Wings resume their season.Gold medal or no, it seems impossible that Howard will not come back to Detroit refreshed and reinvigorated and ready to put his NHL team on his back in a way he was never able to do for his national team.
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