The Goaltending
The 2005-06 season marked a big change for the Hurricanes in net. Longtime starter Arturs Irbe was gone. Kevin Weekes, who had played well for Carolina, was also out. Assuming the starting role was Martin Gerber, who had been acquired from the Mighty Ducks three months before the lockout began.
The 31-year-old Gerber had plied his trade as a backup for two seasons in Anaheim. During his tenure there he put up very respectable numbers (2.14 GAA, .923 SV%, 3 SO) and seemed ready to take on a higher workload. He got his chance with the Hurricanes, appearing in 60 games (a number he would never match) and winning 38 of them (also a career-best). Gerber wasn’t dazzling for Carolina but, more often than not, he got the job done.
Serving as the backup to Gerber was 21-year-old Cam Ward. Ward had put up sparkling numbers with Lowell in the AHL during the lockout, going 27-17-3 with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. Ward also notched 6 shutouts in 50 games.
While Ward would have great success in the playoffs, his regular season was nothing to write home about. Appearing in 28 games, he posted a 14-8-2 record with a goals-against-average of 3.68 and a save percentage of .882.
Whereas neither goalie set the world on fire, they did combine for 52 wins and the Hurricanes finished with a franchise-record 112 points, giving them the second see in the Eastern Conference and tying them with the Dallas Stars for the third-highest point total in the league.
- Martin Gerber: 38-14-6; 2.78; .906; 3 SO
- Cam Ward: 14-8-2; 3.68; .882; 0 SO