To say that it was wise for the Carolina Hurricanes to lock up Cam Ward for the near future would be an understatement – no-brainer would be more like it.
On an under-achieving, injury-plagued team this past season, the former 2002 first-round pick posted a very respectable 2.93 goals against average, 30 wins and a couple of shutouts. Taking a look at the bigger picture, Ward boasts the kind of resume that any general manager would love to have in a goalie. Plus, he’s only 23 years old.
The kid can’t even rent a car, but he already has a Stanley Cup ring and a Conn Smythe Award (NHL playoff MVP) to his name. He was the first rookie to win the Conn Smythe since Patrick Roy in 1986. Considering that Roy is widely regarded as the greatest goalie to ever play the game, I’d say Mr. Ward is keeping pretty good company in that regard.
However, during the regular season, he only saw action in 28 games, posting a modest 3.68 GAA. It wasn’t until the playoffs began that we realized the superstar we had on our hands. During the ’06 championship run, Ward showed everyone he had that “it” factor that can only be discovered in truly clutch situations.
Down 0-2 in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens, Coach Peter Laviolette turned to his back-up goaltender to replace a struggling Gerber. Ward answered the bell, allowing a stingy 2.14 goals a game in 23 playoff games, including a pair of shutouts. We all know how that season ended – unfortunately for Gerber, I think Laviolette made the right call.
By showing the man the money, the Hurricanes front office is making the right call once again and an easy call at that.
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