West Valley City, Utah - Joe Howard always has lived on the edge of his emotions. It cost him both legs when, chasing an adrenaline rush at age 15, he tried to take a shortcut in front of a moving train.

During the 2000 World Sledge Hockey Championships in Salt Lake City, Howard's short fuse cost Team USA a chance to play for the bronze medal when his checking-from-behind penalty allowed Norway to score three power-play goals. The Americans finished last.

Howard is back this week for the 2002 Paralympic sledge hockey tournament. A lot has changed for him and Team USA in the last two years. With Howard as captain, the team will play for the gold medal tonight against Norway.

Do not expect him to be ejected for a vicious hit or to score all of his team's goals tonight.

"Joe has changed. He is playing a much calmer game and he is the captain now, so that puts a lot more responsibility on him," said teammate and former captain Kip St. Germaine.

Change and responsibility have caught up to him off the ice, too. Shortly after the U.S. team walloped Estonia 6-1 on Thursday at the E Center, Howard called his girlfriend, Carol Tribuna, to the ice. With Billy Idol's "White Wedding" blasting from the PA system, Howard proposed marriage. She accepted.

For most of his sledge hockey career, the 35-year-old auto mechanic hardly has been a marshmallow.

<< With a win over Estonia under his belt, Team USA Ice Sledge Hockey Captain Joe Howard proposes to his girlfriend Carol
Photo credit: Danny La / The Salt Lake Tribune

During the 2000 World Championships, he landed a five-minute penalty after ramming into the back of a Norwegian skater in a game the U.S. team needed to win to advance to the bronze medal game.

"A lot of people take my aggressiveness and my being on the edge as being a dirty player, but all of my hits are clean," Howard said after Team USA beat Estonia to remain undefeated (5-0) going into today's gold medal game. "You can say I'm a bit of a rebel and coming into this tournament I had a bit of a reputation, but I've really settled things down."

A crop of new teammates as capable of scoring as he is has reduced the pressure on Howard. "Having a more talented team makes it a lot easier for me. I'm not relied on for all the points and all the hits."

He set a Paralympic record with six goals in one game during the 1998 Games in Nagano."Before, I would be the first one to draw a penalty because I was trying to make something happen, but I only have two penalties in this tournament."

This doesn't mean Howard has been slacking. Opponents have felt the brunt of a Joe Howard hit this week, but none have complained that it was dirty.

He was a natural choice for captain, said coach Rich Middleton.

"He is a very passionate guy, about his own game and the team game. He is a good leader and I wanted to take some of the weight off his shoulders, let him know he doesn't have to do everything."

Although St. Germaine wore the 'C' at the 2000 championships, Howard earned the nickname "Captain America" because of the red, white and blue hair under his helmet. Only a small patch of whiskers on his chin are dyed now, but Howard is officially the skipper.

"It is a tremendous honor to wear the 'C' " he said. "People are following my lead and it makes me control my emotions all the more."

It has been 20 years since Howard, of Brockton, Mass., lost his right leg and his left leg below the knee when he jumped in front of that train.

As he came to terms with the emotional and physical components of his disability, Howard recognized something was missing from his life. Having played hockey since he was four, he longed to be back on the ice, to feel blades under his weight, to line up an opponent and experience the rush of a well-planned check.

The only game he knew had been for able-bodied men and women, a game where a good set of "wheels" could take you far. The breakthrough came at a New Hampshire ski resort in 1996 when Howard was using a monoski and someone asked if he liked hockey.

Soon he was in Boston, taking his first crack at sledge hockey.

"As soon as I entered the rink and got a smell of the ice I knew was in the right place. The first time I hit somebody, I knew I would be playing for a long time."

A year later, Howard drew the attention of U.S. national sled hockey coach Angelo Bianco. He played in Sweden in the 1997 World Sledge Hockey Championships.

"We are really no different from other athletes. We want to win and we like to be physical," Howard said.

So Howard has learned to control himself in the game. Off the ice, he still gets a little emotional. After his proposal to Tribuna, it seemed only fitting the kinder and gentler team captain would sum things up like this: "Somebody was going to go home with the gold, now we both will."

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