Canes rely on Ward

Goaltender's play will be vital

RALEIGH -- Cam Ward and his wife, Cody, aren't often noticed, much less bothered, when the young couple ventures out on the town for a quiet dinner.

Someone might nod a head in recognition or wave, Ward said. Maybe a quick autograph request.

But it's nothing like, say, the Canes' Eric Staal or Rod Brind'Amour going out in public.

"My situation is a little different," Ward said, smiling. "I wear that goalie mask over my head."

But it may be the man behind the mask -- the one with "WARDO" on it -- that determines whether the Canes reach the Stanley Cup playoffs this season or spend a third straight spring lining up tee times.

While coach Peter Laviolette stresses it is a team game and consistency is critical from everyone, it is Ward and his play in net that should be so vital to this team this season.

Brind'Amour, the team captain, said much must go right to make the playoffs. There can't be another November-December type slide like last season. Special teams have to be productive. The Canes need to stay healthy. And they need goaltending excellence.

"With every team, it comes down to the same things," Brind'Amour said. "With us, you're going say it's going to come down to Cam.

"Is he going to be an elite goaltender? We need him in the top 10 goaltenders. If he's not going to be in the top 10, we're going to have our work cut out for us. He needs to be good."

Brind'Amour wasn't trying to slap another layer of pressure on Ward's shoulders. He was more or less stating the obvious.

And Ward has been good -- Stanley Cup good.

In the Hurricanes' run to the 2006 Stanley Cup, so many were impressed by the poise and polish of "The Kid," as many tagged Ward. Only 22, the rookie was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup's most valuable player.

But Ward, 24, hasn't been able to match his Stanley Cup numbers or promise. A year ago, he was given a new three-year, $8 million contract. He believed he was in the best shape of his life, having shed 25 pounds -- he dropped from 200 to 175 pounds. He had career bests in wins (37), games played (69), shutouts (four), goals-against average (2.75) and save percentage (.904).

While the numbers seem impressive, Ward ranked 32nd in the NHL in save percentage and in goals against. There was a tendency at times to allow the first goal of the game or to give up a soft goal at a critical juncture.

Ward said the 69-game season wasn't too much.

"I definitely like the workload," he said. "Fatigue wasn't a part of it. I have no excuses, for anything."

Nor, Ward said, has he suffered from the pressure of trying to match the expectations of winning a Conn Smythe so early.

"I'm not going to complain about people expecting me to be like I was in the Stanley Cup," he said. "Because obviously that was a good thing, that people have those expectations, because that means I was there and did it.

"I know I'm capable of getting back to that level. I think a big part of it is that consistency. Looking back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, I can remember how relaxed and how much fun it was, how I enjoyed it. Where sometimes you get caught up in everything and get a little bit too serious, you've got to realize at the end of the day it's a game and you're here for a reason and you've just got to do the best you can."

Laviolette noted goaltenders are easy to blame when games are lost and a season is disappointing. But there were often times, he said, when the team "left Cam out to dry."

"I don't think it's fair sometimes to just point a finger at the goalie when your team gives up point-blank chances or leaves men wide open or the penalty kill needs to be better," Laviolette said. "Our team defense can be better and then Cam can chip in as well."