During the 2005-06 season Cam Ward burst upon the up and coming young goalie scene from out of nowhere. First the Canes decided to go with him as the backup to start the season. Then Martin Gerber was injured only 1 game into the season. Then Cam Ward took the reins and played very well for a stretch before handing the reigns back to Gerber who went on to have a very good season. That would have been enough to vault Cam Ward up the “goalie of the future” lists, but it only got better. Next he took over 2 games into the 2006 playoffs and went on the win 4 playoff series, 2 playoff game 7s, a Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy. When the season was over Cam Ward was a 22-year old sitting atop the NHL goalie universe. Had you taken a poll asking, “If you were building an NHL team for the next 10 years and could have any young goalie you want to start it, who would you take?” Ward would have likely been the winner. In Henrik Lundqvist who was only 24 and coming off a Vezina nomination and Ryan Miller who was also coming off a very strong campaign and was also 24 years old there was strong competition, but how could you argue with the magical playoff run and playoff award hardware won under the brightest of spotlights..
When he next saw the playoffs in 2009, Ward again lived up to expectations. He played a huge part in the underdog Hurricanes winning 2 road game 7s to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Ward ran his game 7 record to 4-0 and his record versus future hall of famer Martin Brodeur to 2-0 before he and the Canes were overwhelmed by eventual Stanley Cup champion Penguins 1 round short of the finals. With the 2008-09 playoff accomplishments Ward arguably proved the 2006 playoff run to be more than lightning in a bottle and further built his playoff resume. But the problem is that now in 8 seasons into his career, those are the only 2 playoff appearances that he has seen. And while Ward has by no means been horrible during the playoff misses, he has not reached the elite level in the regular season finishing no higher than 7th (2008-09 and 2010-11) in Vezina Trophy balloting.
I have commented on the Cam Ward evaluation a few times in the past, but to put it on record where it belongs, I come down as follows. First of all, I think it is fair to put him middle of the pack in terms of regular season performance especially over the past 3-4 years. His basic stats (save % and GAA) are not outstanding, but one has to consider that he has played in front of below average defensive units. But I also admit that it is difficult to give too much credit to a goalie whose team is not making the playoffs. I do not get where people start ranking him in the bottom scraps of the NHL goalies. In watching him year in and year out, he is clearly better than that. But the huge underlying positive is what he does when the pressure is on. He always plays his best regular season hockey down the stretch in March/early April unfortunately when the Canes are usually playing him every single game trying to claw back into the playoff mix. And as I touched upon, his somewhat limited playoff track record is as good as you will find. His overall game record is not phenomenal, but when you look at Cam Ward's playoff record in the context of winning playoff series which is all that matters it is flat out impressive. He has played in 7 playoff series and won 6 of them. He has been nothing short of great in every one of the many huge playoff games he has played. He is 4-0 in game 7s including 2 road wins in 2009. And he has a Conn Smythe Trophy from the 2006 Cup win. While the Canes obviously have the issue of even making the playoffs lately, I will gladly take my chances with a goalie who is comfortable and raises a game a notch when he gets there compared to the long list of goalies who had decent regular season careers but seemed unable to handle the pressure of the playoffs.
Entering 2013-14, Cam Ward is suddenly a 29-year-old veteran who is far too old to be the young goalie flavor of the month. He is coming off a 2012-13 that saw a slow start followed by a season-ending knee injury. And he finds himself not amongst the 5 goalie invitees to the 2014 Team Canada Orientation Camp.
Whereas a couple years ago it was trendy to extol the virtues and future of Cam Ward, it is clearly more the norm now for fans, especially those outside of the Carolina Hurricanes community, to either just look past him completely or speak negatively about him.
As a Canes fan, I wish the best for the team’s players, so I was disappointed that Ward was left off the Team Canada list seemingly positioning him as an outsider in the race for Canada’s goalie slots for the upcoming Olympics. On the other hand, the selfish part of me that desperately wants a return to playoff hockey could not be happier. From watching Ward for a long time now, it is very clear to me that Ward is not the personality type to crumble under a bit of adversity and meekly fade away. He is much more the type to get a bee in his bonnet and ride a new sense of purpose to a higher level.
There are 2 wild cards in play for 2013-14:
1) The blue line. Will the defense be improved enough to give him a fair chance? The defense was abysmal down the stretch last season. The team subtracted 2 offense-oriented defensemen who underperformed in 2012-13 in Jamie McBain and Joe Corvo which should help. But it did not add a pure top pairing shutdown defender which leaves a bit of a defense by committee feeling.
2) Health. Schedule-wise Ward has plenty of time to recover and rehab at an unrushed pace to be ready for the upcoming training camp, but coming off a major knee injury you never know exactly what you will get until you see real games. Will it take time to learn to trust the knee? Will he lose anything in mobility out of the gate? Etc.
If the 2 wild cards work out favorably, I think the ball is on the tee for Cam Ward to have an incredible 2013-14 campaign. With a decent start, good health and a bit of confidence, I could see him riding “prove it to the world” fuel to a run leading right up to the Olympic team selection date. Personally, I am anxious to get a read on Ward’s demeanor and attitude in camp and coming out of it to see if I get a sense that I am right in expecting a bit of focused resolve.
What say you Canes fans? At 29 years old and coming off a major injury and with a solid backup in tow, is Ward looking at more of a contributing 1A and 1B situation for 2013-14 versus the traditional arrangement where he is it he guy? Or will use the couple recent setbacks to fuel a 2013-14 surge and the best regular season of his career?
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