A lot of people don't realize where Howard gets his drive.

"It was his coaches at Maine," they say. 

"It was his time in Grand Rapids," they guess.

Wrong. As a young boy, Jimmy's grandpa tormented him constantly with a game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Forcing his grandson to always use the yellow hippo, which he had doctored to ensure that the mouth would only open halfway, grandpa Howard sought to instill a ravenous drive to win. 

"Is that all you got? I could beat you with my eyes closed!" was a common phrase shouted at the boy, as grandpa demonstrated that Hungry, Hungry Hippos was possibly the only board game that you could play with your eyes closed - crushing your 8 year old nemesis and his broken hippo while doing it. 

The lesson paid off. The boy became a man, and the little white marbles eventually gave way to pucks. If you are lucky enough to get rink-side seats near the home net - and you listen really closely - you just might hear Jimmy Howard cursing his grandpa with every save.