Howard was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round (No. 64) of the 2003 NHL Draft following three standout college seasons. He went 47-23-10 and helped Maine reach the NCAA Frozen Four as a sophomore.

When Howard made his NHL debut with the Red Wings on Nov. 28, 2005 after three seasons at the University of Maine, they were in the process of getting 124 points and winning the Presidents' Trophy with goalies Chris Osgood and Manny Legace.

And with Dominik Hasek taking over as starter the next season (he would help Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 2008), Howard found his path to the No. 1 goaltending job seemingly blocked again. He played the majority of four seasons with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.

By the start of training camp in 2009, the Red Wings promoted Howard to back up Osgood, but Osgood struggled. By midseason, Howard became the starter and finished with 37 wins, 3,740 minutes played, a 2.26 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 63 games (60 starts) and was runner-up to Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers in voting for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the top rookie in the NHL.

Howard signed a six-year contract with the Red Wings on April 16, 2013 after going 21-13-7 in the lockout-shortened regular season and helping Detroit clinch its 22nd consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff berth. He won his 200th NHL game on Oct. 5, 2017 and played his 500th NHL game Feb. 14, 2019. Howard became the third Red Wings goalie (Terry Sawchuk, Osgood) and 71st in NHL history and eighth United States-born goalie to reach the games-played milestone.