Cam Ward

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Position Goaltender
Catches Left
Nickname Wardo
Height
Weight		 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
NHL Team Carolina Hurricanes
Nationality Flag of Canada Canada
Born February 29, 1984,
Saskatoon, SK
NHL Draft 25th overall, 2002
Carolina Hurricanes
Pro Career 2004 – present

Cameron Kenneth Ward (born February 29, 1984 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He cites Sherwood Park, Alberta as his hometown.[1] He is the goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes and won the Stanley Cup in his 2006 rookie campaign—the first goalie to do so since Hall of Famer Patrick Roy in 1986.[2]

Contents

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Minor leagues

Ward was drafted 25th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. After appearing in one game in the Western Hockey League in 2000-01, Ward played three full seasons with the Red Deer Rebels from 2001-2004, leading the Rebels to the WHL finals twice. Upon graduating from the WHL, Ward moved on to play two seasons with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League.

[edit] NHL

On May 13, 2004, Ward signed a multi-year contract with the Hurricanes. In the 2005-06 NHL season, Ward largely served in a backup role to Swiss goalie Martin Gerber. Ward's first game came on the season opener on October 5, 2005, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gerber injured his hamstring, and Ward was called in to take his place; he saved 10 of 11 shots in a 5-2 loss.[3] His second game came two days later in the home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It eventually resulted in a shootout where Ward turned aside Mario Lemieux, Zigmund Palffy, and Sidney Crosby, leading the Hurricanes to a 3-2 win. He earned immediate praise for his performance.[4] His excellent performance in his rookie season earned him consideration on a shortlist of 81 candidates to play for the Team Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics.[5] He was one of only nine goalies selected, however he was not named to the Canadian squad. His performance gradually began to slow down, and he finished with a 14-8 record and a 3.68 goals against average.

[edit] 2005-2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs

In the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Hurricanes found themselves in a two game deficit in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens. Martin Gerber struggled in the series, which prompted Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette to turn to Ward. Ward quickly stifled the Montreal offence, and helped to carry his team to the next round against the New Jersey Devils, where he defeated his personal hero Martin Brodeur.[6] After beating the Devils, the Hurricanes played the Buffalo Sabres, who had their own rookie goalie sensation, Ryan Miller; Carolina won in seven games.

On June 5, 2006, Chris Pronger scored on a penalty shot against Ward in the Stanley Cup Final, marking the first successful penalty shot in the Finals' history.[7] Nonetheless, Ward went on to win the game, turning away 34 shots on goal. He eventually won the Stanley Cup, becoming the first rookie goaltender to do so since Patrick Roy.[2]

On the road to the 2006 Stanley Cup, Ward set several milestones- all of which were last achieved by Roy in 1986. He became the first rookie goalie in 20 years to record a shutout in the Stanley Cup Finals, the first rookie in 20 years to start a game in the Finals, and one of eleven rookies to record a shutout in the Finals. He tied the rookie record for wins in the playoffs (15), previously held by only Roy and Ron Hextall, and became the first rookie goalie to win the Conn Smythe Trophy since Hextall in 1987.[8]

The victory ended up being bittersweet for Ward and those close to him, though. He, alongside Fort Saskatchewan natives Ray Whitney and Mike Commodore, ended up winning the Stanley Cup by defeating the Edmonton Oilers- their childhood team.[2]

[edit] Personal life

Born in St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Ward is the second child of Ken and Laurel Ward. He is the middle child of his family, between Chelsea, his younger sister, and Kendra, his older sister. In his youth, he grew up in both Saskatoon and Sherwood Park, spending his adolescent years in the latter. When the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup, an article in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix acknowledged Ward's early years in Saskatoon growing up in Lakeridge, a neighbourhood in the city's southeast corner where he lived until moving to Sherwood Park when he was 10 years old.[9] On July 22, 2006, Ward married his fiancée Cody Campbell in Sherwood Park.

He is also known to be a fan of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders.[10] On March 25, 2007 Ward shaved his head for the St. Baldricks foundation.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Regular season

   
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
2000-01 Red Deer Rebels WHL 1 1 0 0 60 0 1 0.00
2001-02 Red Deer Rebels WHL 46 30 11 4 2694 102 1 2.27
2002-03 Red Deer Rebels WHL 57 40 13 3 3368 118 5 2.10
2003-04 Red Deer Rebels WHL 56 31 16 8 3338 114 4 2.05
2004-05 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 50 27 17 3 2829 94 6 1.99
2005-06 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 2 0 2 0 118 5 0 2.54
2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 28 14 8 0 1484 91 0 3.68
NHL Totals 28 14 8 0 1484 91 0 3.68

[edit] Playoffs

   
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
2001-02 Red Deer Rebels WHL 23 14 9 -- 1502 53 2 2.11
2002-03 Red Deer Rebels WHL 23 14 9 -- 1407 49 3 2.08
2003-04 Red Deer Rebels WHL 19 10 9 -- 1200 37 3 1.85
2004-05 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 11 5 6 -- 664 28 2 2.53
2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 23 15 8 -- 1320 47 2 2.14
NHL Totals 23 15 8 -- 1320 47 2 2.13

[edit] NHL awards

Preceded by
Brad Richards		 Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy
2006		 Succeeded by
Present holder

[edit] Minor league accolades

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ NHL player profile
  2. ^ a b c Jones, Shane. "Warm welcome home for Ward", 2006-08-23. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  3. ^ Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning scoresheet, accessed 2006-08-23
  4. ^ "Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes game recap", 2005-10-07. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  5. ^ "Rookies, vets on Team Canada's long Olympic list", 2005-10-19. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  6. ^ "Hurricanes down Devils, will face Sabres in Eastern finals", Associated Press, 2006-05-14. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
  7. ^ Chris Pronger NHL profile
  8. ^ "Ward wins Conn Smythe Trophy", Canadian Press, 2006-08-19. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
  9. ^ Wolfe, Cory. "Dream weaver: Cam Ward's dreams of raising Stanley Cup took root in Saskatoon", 2006-06-24. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  10. ^ Huntington, Jonathan. "Stadium name has fans angry: Riders faithful just don't like 'Mosaic Stadium'", 2006-06-26. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  11. ^ a b c d e f TSN player profile
  12. ^ "Cam Ward bio". Retrieved on 2006-08-23.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../c/a/m/Cam_Ward_6153.html"
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