In the first two parts of the “Historical Hurricanes” series, we dove into Ray Whitney and Justin Williams‘s impact during their time with the Carolina Hurricanes. In part three, we will look at the crease and the greatest Hurricanes goalie of all time: the man who held it down for 13 seasons, Cam Ward.
Talk to Me, Wardo
Before we look back on Ward’s 13 seasons in Raleigh, we have to turn back the clock to his draft year, when he was selected 25th overall by the Hurricanes in 2002, coming off a 30-11-4 record with a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA) and a .911 save percentage (SV%) in 46 Western Hockey League (WHL) games with the Red Deer Rebels. In the playoffs that season, Ward had a 14-9-0 record, a 2.12 GAA and a .920 SV% in 23 games.
Ward played two more seasons with the Rebels after he was drafted, finishing with a 40-13-3 record in 2002-03 and a 31-16-8 record in 20023-04. He also went 14-9-0 and 10-9-0 in the playoffs in those seasons. During the 2004-05 lockout campaign, Ward spent time with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he finished with a 27-17-3 record, a 1.99 GAA, a .937 SV% and six shutouts in 50 games.
When he finally joined the Hurricanes in 2005-06, he put up okay numbers in the regular season as a rookie netminder. Ward finished 14-8-2, with a 3.68 GAA and an .882 SV%. However, in the playoffs, Ward cemented himself in Hurricanes lore.
In Round 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, Ward made his postseason debut in the second period of Game 2, in relief of starter Martin Gerber, who had struggled in the first. While he split time with Gerber, Ward finished with a 15-8-0 record, along with a 2.14 GAA, a .920 SV%, two shutouts, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and the Stanley Cup.
Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Over his 13 seasons in Raleigh, Ward finished with a 318-244-84 record, a .909 SV%, 2.70 GAA, 27 shutouts, one goal, and 12 points in 668 games (654 starts). During two playoff runs in 2006 and 2009, he had a 23-18-0 record with a .917 SV%, a 2.38 GAA, four shutouts, and one assist.
Ward holds many Hurricanes goaltending records, including the franchise leader in seasons played (13), games played/starts, wins, losses, overtime losses, shutouts, minutes, goals, second in assists, and tied-first in points. It makes sense, since he played more than double the time of the next goalie (six years). That said, he received a ton of heat during the seasons when the team did not make the playoffs.
In reality, that wasn’t on him. With poor drafting, asset/contract management, and overall terrible coaching, Ward was driven into the ground between 2009-10 and 2017-18. Unfortunately, his last season in the NHL was not under head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Imagine a team with Williams and Ward on the ice, while their captain from 2006 was behind the bench.
After he called it a career, Ward was among the first inductees into the Hurricanes’ newly established Hall of Fame in 2023. His induction ceremony was held before a game against the Canadiens on Feb. 16, when Seth Jarvis scored a hat trick. It was also just a couple of days before they defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 in their first Stadium Series game in franchise history at Carter-Finley Stadium. His number 30 should be hanging from the rafters of the Lenovo Center.
Cam Ward and Eric Staal (Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE)
Between 2010-11 and 2011-12 alone, Ward played 142 games, including 74 starts in 2010-11, which is unheard of these days. But the team’s backup goalie was not reliable enough for Ward to earn some rest. For all that he did, trying to help the Hurricanes win, he did not receive much support.
In the end, Ward is the greatest Hurricanes goalie of all time. He spent all but one season of his career in Carolina and is loved by those who saw him play and understood the situation he was in. When people talk about the franchise’s Mount Rushmore, Ward is there without a doubt. He is a Conn Smythe winner, a Stanley Cup Champion, and a Hurricanes Hall of Famer. At the end of the day, Ward’s legacy will last forever in Raleigh.
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