A return to glory: Joe Howard goes for gold

By Tom Layman

It's a slow Monday morning at Connell Memorial Rink in Weymouth.  The building is empty except for one man pushing himself back and forth along the ice getting ready for one of the biggest moments in his life.

Joe Howard has been here for the past two hours pushing his body to the limit to get ready for the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver.  Already fitted with a gold and bronze medal, Howard is trying to make a comeback to national competition after three years off from sled hockey.

Based on the circumstances of his life, Howard never knew he would be in this position to don a USA jersey playing the sport that he loves.

The Accident

When Howard was 15 years old, he made a decision that changed the rest of his life. 

Howard and his buddies used to jump the train in Weymouth to catch a quicker ride home after school, and on one day in 1982, Howard made a mistake.

"One day we were jumping it and it was going faster than it was supposed to be," he said. "It was my own fault.  I jumped on it, went under it and lost both of my legs."

It took Howard two months to get out of the hospital. He said he dwelled on his injury for a short period, but he knew it was an accident and needed to move on.

"I was never like 'Why me?' or stuff like that," he said.  "It was kind of my own fault.  It is what it is, but you just have to move on. If you don't move on, then that's on you."

Howard considered himself an active kid before the accident, and the one thing that really bothered him was not being able to play the game he loved since he was four years old: hockey.

Back on the Ice

The biggest disappointment for Howard after the accident was that he could not skate and play hockey again. Or so he thought.

In 1997, he was trying some adaptive skiing in New Hampshire when he came in contact with Dale Wise. 

Wise, president of the New England Wheelchair Athletic Association and a big supporter of sled hockey, asked Howard if would like to get back out on the ice. Of course, Howard was ready.

"I tried (sled hockey) the next week, and I haven't missed a week since," said Howard.

Sled hockey has the same rules as "regular" hockey, but the players are sitting on sleds and they use two small sticks to maneuver around the ice.

Wise noticed Howard's skills when he got on the ice.  He said that Howard's knowledge and understanding of the game of hockey put Howard ahead of most of his skating opponents.     

From the beginning, Wise knew Howard would go somewhere with the sport. 

"Joe was faster than most people out there," said Wise.  "It's tough to say if he's the best player in the world, but he is up there."

Howard's early success got him a chance to skate with a young USA sled hockey program for the 1998 Paralympics.

USA Sled Hockey Team

In his first taste of Paralympic competition, Howard shined on a team that placed sixth in the standings.  In their lone win, Howard notched six goals, which set a Paralympic record for most goals in a single game. 

"It was a good experience for the team," he said.  "It was really our first-ever team in the Paralympics, so we learned a lot of what we needed to do and it was a building block."

The 2002 Paralympics would end much different for Howard and the U.S. team.

Ex-Boston Bruin Rick Middleton was name head coach in 2001 and he changed the culture of the team. Howard said Middleton taught everyone how to play fundamental hockey, and it all paid off.

In front of the home crowd in Salt Lake City, the 2002 Paralympic team swept through the tournament and claimed the gold medal.

"Just having the Paralympics on our home soil with the fans was just nuts," said Howard, who also brought home a bronze in the 2006 Paralympics.  "It was just amazing."

After the 2006 Games, Howard lost the love for the sport and the competition.  He was sour that nobody back home in the U.S. cared about the Paralympic team. After a few run-ins with the head coach, Howard took a hiatus from national competition. 

The Comeback

After three years, a new coaching regime, and burying the bad feelings in the past, Howard is back on the ice gearing up for the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver.

Howard wishes it could be different, but understands that the Paralympic team is going to have their loyal followers and might not get the national recognition they deserve.

"It used to bother me when we first got the gold and we came home and there was more talk about the woman's and men's (hockey) teams losing than us winning," he said.  "People in my town know who I am, but it is what it is."

After watching the U.S. sled hockey team compete in a game last year, Howard had the itch to get back into the competition.

"I realized right then how much I missed it," said Howard, who added he was the loudest one cheering at the game that night.  "I wanted so bad to jump on my sled and get onto the ice."

Ray Maluta, head coach of the U.S. Paralympic team, said he could see the excitement in Howard at the game in Marlboro, Mass. 

"He expressed his desire to play," said Maluta, who is going into his third season as head coach. "He missed the competition and there were some things that he didn't like, but we talked and we were happy to see him come back to the team."

Howard, 43, is one of the elder statesmen on the ice and Maluta is glad to have that Paralympic experience back on the ice.

"(Howard) is going to have a calming affect on some of our youth," he said.  "He brings experience and great touch around the net, and I think he will do well in our environment."

Howard said his conditioning is "99 percent" there, and he looks forward to the challenge of being a team leader.

"Being the oldest one I feel like I have to do twice as much as the younger guys," said Howard. "The coach tells me that the team goes as I go, and I think (the team) looks up to me and that's pretty cool."