Carolina Hurricanes: Cam Ward’s Carolina Resume and Legacy
In 2002, the Carolina Hurricanes would use their first-round draft pick on a goaltender. How would that 22nd overall pick pan out for the team?
Allow me to take you back in time to a time when there were only 30 teams in the NHL. Only the Dallas Stars had won a cup since 1994 that didn’t belong to the Colorado Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, or Detroit Red Wings. Carolina had just made the Stanley Cup Finals only 5 years after being relocated from Hartford, Connecticut.
Carolina had one major hole they needed to fill, and it was in the blue paint. You can apply this sentence to seemingly every season ever for the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise. So Carolina looked towards a goaltender from the draft when they took a young man from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan named Cam Ward.
At the time, Carolina had just made the cup finals with Arturs Irbe and Kevin Weekes between the pipes. Two goaltenders who had endured less than spectacular careers to this point. It was the teams biggest weakness, but the franchise had shown they were capable of winning without a truly spectacular talent in goal (with all due respect to Weekes and Irbe).
With Irbe towards the end of his career and a lot of question marks hanging around what Weekes was capable of, there was a lot of organizational pressure pushed onto Ward. He had a spot on the roster as soon as he showed that he was capable of playing at the top level. All that was required was for him to perform to show he could play with the worlds best.
The WHL years
Ward would play for the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and would play very well during his tenure as a rebel. Although he had some shady numbers prior to his time with the rebels, he quickly proved that he was fully capable of taking that step to play at the next level during his 3 years in the WHL.
Cam would put up a .911 save percentage and would record a 2.27 goals-against average in his first season in the WHL. For someone who would have been no older than 16, those numbers are good. He quickly started to show some promise.
Ward would only get better as his time in the Western Hockey League progressed. In his second season, he recorded a 2.10 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. He was starting to prove himself as someone who may very well have a career in the NHL ahead of them.
Predictions about Cam’s future would only go up after he posted a superb .926 save percentage and a 2.05 goals-against average. All of a sudden, he was one of the hottest goalie commodities in the draft class. Very highly rated and for a very good reason, Ward shot up the draft boards.
He’d gone from a question mark to being drafted at all to a 1st round draft pick. The Carolina Hurricanes took the chance the young goaltender wanted, and he now had a platform to launch his NHL Career. All he needed to do was keep progressing.
Unwanted Start
While Ward did so much good in Carolina, his start in Raleigh was one of the worst I’ve seen for a goaltender. I’ve watched Canes hockey forever, and Cam got off to one of the worst starts. Let that sink in. It truly was that bad.
Ward jumped into the NHL the year after the season lost to the lockout. So in 2005-06 Ward would make his NHL debut, and he would embark on his NHL career. But as stated, it didn’t exactly start in a blaze of glory statistically.
In 28 regular-season games, he recorded a 3.68 goals-against average and a 0.882 save percentage. Luckily for Ward, his first year in Carolina was gonna come with extra hockey due to the heroics of Martin Gerber between the pipes.
Ward was in the NHL in his debut season and he was in the playoffs. Even as a backup, Ward could have hope to sit behind a goalie who had done so well during the regular season to get the Hurricanes to this point. It was just sit and learn for Ward for now, right?
The rookie saves the day
If you thought Ward was just gonna have the best seat in the house while Carolina went through the playoffs, you were so horribly mistaken. Cam was thrown into the fire when the going got tough, and what happened was, what I can only describe as miraculous.
After game 1 in the Montreal series, Gerber had not performed to expectation. In Game two, Carolina found themselves down 5-0, so Gerber came out and the rookie went in. Ridding the momentum of the human highlight reel Cam Ward had become, the Canes got themselves back into the game.
Carolina would lose game 2, but they won the next 4 straight. They whipped the Habs out in 6, moved on to the second round, and beat New Jersey in 5. Ward would also see the team past the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Finals, and past the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. Both series would go the distance, to see Carolina on the winning side.
Ward would put up 15 wins in 23 games. He recorded a .920 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average. Considering what he had done in the regular season, this was nothing short of a miracle. 2 shutouts in the playoffs to, just to cement his solid performance. He had completely turned around his short time in the NHL, and he had become an incredibly hot commodity.
Not only had Ward become a Stanley Cup champion, but he had also won the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. He had become the first rookie goalie to do it in 50 years. It’s an incredibly rare feat and Ward had done it. He’d saved the day when Carolina needed him to. It could only be up from here for the Conn Smythe winner.
Coming back to Earth
After a superhuman performance in the playoffs in 2006, the next 2 seasons were a little bit more of what we could have expected from Cam Ward. He didn’t set the world alight like he did in the extra hockey. He had come crashing back down to reality and his short-lived time as a star had ended abruptly.
In 2006-07, he played 60 games as the Canes starter. Over those 60 games, Ward’s stats dipped to a .897 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average. This return to reality also saw the Canes miss the meaningful games played in April as they missed the playoffs. They were the first cup holders to miss the playoffs in the expansion era.
In 2007-08, it was more of the same from Cam. In 69 games he posted nothing better than 2.75 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. This was a far cry from what he had done in the postseason just a few seasons prior against Montreal, New Jersey, Buffalo, and Edmonton. He was not performing at the same level that the Carolina Hurricanes needed him to be.
Could this be what Cam Ward’s career would really be? A sub-par starting goaltender who could never catch the days of former glory? Had he burned out as a star in the NHL? With so many questions surrounding Cam and his future is not only Raleigh but the NHL too, Ward needed to prove he could still play at the top level.
The revival of a career?
With Ward desperate to have a good regular season at the NHL level, the 2008-09 season rolled around. Carolina had not made the playoffs since their Stanley Cup Championship and it was essential they made it this year. The franchise could not afford another April with no meaningful hockey.
Ward stepped forward and put up by far the best numbers of his career. A .916 save percentage and 2.44 goals-against average was not spectacular. However, it was good enough for Carolina to clinch the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference and see themselves back in the playoffs. Ward had shown some light on his potential too.
In the playoffs, Ward did not disappoint. Again the Saskatoon native would backstop the team into the Eastern Conference Finals after the Canes went to game 7 against both the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins. Cam had become the first goaltender ever to win their first 6 playoff series in a row. He had won 4 straight game 7’s too.
Putting up a .915 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average in the playoffs accompanied with 2 shutouts started to cement the idea that Ward was better in the postseason than in the Regular Season. When the hockey was meaningful, Ward was at his best. He could stand on his head and get you wins in games you just shouldn’t have been in.
Finally arriving in the NHL.
After another spectacular performance in the playoffs, Ward started to show why he was so highly touted in the 2002 NHL draft. Quickly his numbers started to look like those of a genuine NHL goaltender. He was looking like the goaltender that his idol Martin Brodeur has so kindly called “his idol”. Ward was looking like he belonged at the top level.
But while Ward got better, the rest of the team regressed to a burning pile of rubble. You could have any goalie you want in goal with the 2009-10 Carolina Hurricanes, and they wouldn’t be any closer to the playoffs for it. Ward performed very well, and the team in front of him just did not show up.
Back to back great seasons was promising for Ward. After all the hard work, after all the criticism and fluctuation in performances, had he finally become what he knew he could be as a member of the Red Deer Rebels? Would his NHL career finally start to progress like he always knew it would or would it continue to bounce like a basketball?
As for the Carolina Hurricanes, had they got their goaltender of the future? At long last was there a solution to their issues in the crease? Ward was looking fantastic and he was only 25 years old. He had suffered some injuries (probably due to the vast amount of games he was starting) but he was young and still getting better. Could he stay reliable?
2010-11: The playoffs there never was
Cam and the Canes had had some success and some issues, but Ward was starting to come into his own as a starter in the NHL. Nothing spectacular, but still a great goalie never the less. And in 2010-11 he had his best season at any level ever. It was so disappointing he did not get rewarded for it, but he was outstanding.
In 74 games, ward had 37 wins, 4 shutouts, a .923 save percentage. 2.56 goals-against average. He finished 7th in voting for the Vezina and was among the top 50 in voting for the Lady Byng as the individual awards were handed out. He was also selected to the all-star game. He was really becoming a top tier goalie and had all the tools to become one of, if not the best in the league.
He dragged a horrible Carolina team kicking and screaming to a win and in scenario for the playoffs. All they needed to do was beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Hurricanes would have some more postseason hockey. It was so simple, and with one of the best goalies in hockey, it wasn’t an impossible task.
Carolina lost and failed to make the playoffs for a 3rd straight year. Despite being within touching distance of the post-season, they had failed to make it again.
Not only had the Canes missed the playoffs, they had wasted the best performance by a goaltender in the history of the hockey club. It was one of the great wasted performances by any goaltender ever. Carolina could not capitalize on a spectacular season.
Counting down the days
It quickly became evident that Ward was brutally wasted during his time with the franchise. His numbers started to regress, and it became clear from this point on his best hockey was behind him. Not due to his age, but due to the amount of games he had played. By the end of the 2011-12 season, Ward was 27 and had played more than 400 NHL games.
Rest was not an option for Cam.
Ward being overplayed meant that he couldn’t perform at the same level as injuries started to take a toll on Cam. Ward only played 17 games in the 2012-13 season, and would never reach the heights he had early in his career. Yet, he still set some franchise records and some NHL records. To say that he was always heavily criticized and still holds records is a gigantic oxymoron.
Cam currently sits 24th in NHL history in terms of wins, and is one of only 36 goalies to hit the 300 win plateau. He leads the Canes franchise in wins, saves, shots faced, games played, Conn Smythes and a load of other stats. Basically, if it exists for a goalie, he is the Canes franchise leader in it.
Ward was overplayed during his time in Raleigh, but his numbers don’t lie. He wasn’t exactly given the best team to work behind. If you give him the modern canes defense, Ward is probably a Vezina candidate again. I know people love to blame Ward as he reason the Canes were bad after 2011, but it just isn’t true.
We all know what Ward was like with the pads and gloves because we can all look at stats and rewatch games. However, there’s everything else Ward did, not just in Raleigh but around North Carolina.
He opened the eyes and ears of many to so many things and helped so many people in so many ways. He’s been through professional adversity, but many people don’t know his personal adversity.
For those of you that didn’t know, Cam has a son who has hearing impairment issues. During his time in Raleigh, Cam did a lot for the deaf and hearing-impaired community. Not because he had to, but because he understood what kind of things something with impaired hearing misses out on. Ward wanted to help those people in Raleigh who suffered from what his son did.
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Ward was always smiling. If you ever saw him (or see him because he is now back in Raleigh) around, he was always happy to be in Carolina. He played on awful teams for most of his career, and still was smiling.
To quote Ward directly, he “loved the city and the people. Raleigh feels like a second home.” He had every chance and right to complain about where he was and the team around him but never did.
Not just did Ward help the community, and love the area, but there’s what he did with his teammates. Reports always suggested he was one of the calmest heads in the dressing room. When things got tough, Ward was always relaxed.
He was a leader with his management because he could help others get over nerves. When you factor all this into what makes Cam Ward special, you understand why he spent 13 years in Raleigh.
Next. Raleigh; the center of Eastern Hockey?. dark