NHL Goalie actually normal, it seems

There is nothing ordinary about Cam Ward's playoff performance for the Canes.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Hockey goalies have always been a rather unusual lot, willingly putting their bodies in front of pucks traveling close to 100 mph while subjecting those around them to all sorts of quirks, idiosyncrasies and superstitions.
Glenn Hall threw up before every game. Gilles Gratton believed he was reincarnated from a soldier killed in the Spanish Inquisition. Patrick Roy talked to the goalposts.
Then there's Cam Ward.
This guy seems ... shall we say it? Ordinary.
"Everybody talks about goalies being different, being weird," said Glen Wesley, a teammate of Ward's with the Carolina Hurricanes. "But Cam is about as normal as they come."
Well, not exactly.
It's hardly run-of-the-mill for a rookie goaltender to take on a starring role in the Stanley Cup finals. In fact, only two in the last 35 years have led their teams to the NHL title -- Ken Dryden in 1971 and Roy in '86, both with the Montreal Canadiens.
Ward could join that exclusive club with two more wins. The Hurricanes are up 2-0 on the Edmonton Oilers heading to Game 3 Saturday night, and a big chunk of credit goes to this unflappable kid wearing the pads, catching mitt and mask.
Just 22 and a backup most of the season, Ward bailed out Carolina in its opening-round series against Montreal when Martin Gerber struggled. Sensing that he might have the next Dryden or Roy on his hands, Carolina coach Peter Laviolette stuck with the hot hand.
Ward outplayed New Jersey's Martin Brodeur -- a childhood hero -- during the second round, and led the Hurricanes to a thrilling seven-game win over Buffalo for the Eastern Conference championship. He hasn't let up against Edmonton, bailing out the Hurricanes with several huge saves after they fell behind 3-0 in the opener, then becoming the first rookie since Roy -- there's that name again -- to post a finals shutout with a 5-0 win in Game 2.
Back at home
Now, Ward is back in his hometown, getting ready to play in the arena where he used to cheer on the Oilers from Section 102.
"I'm extremely excited," Ward said, though it sure was hard to tell from the dispassionate tone of his voice. "You're up in the stands watching the Oilers, thinking what it would be like someday to have the opportunity to play on the ice, let alone the Stanley Cup finals. It put a smile on my face."
The Oilers are hoping that being in Edmonton -- surrounded by family, friends and perhaps some distractions -- will cause Ward to stumble just a bit on his way to hockey history.
"That's going to be tough for him," Edmonton's Ethan Moreau said. "He's a young guy who's back at home. I think we can get to him."
Maybe so, but Ward shows no signs of being overwhelmed by the pressure. In fact, he seemed comforted by his surroundings, chatting leisurely with his father, mother and sister in the hallway beneath Rexall Place after the Hurricanes wrapped up their practice.
The whole family is living in the moment, a salt-of-the-earth clan that provided Ward with all the tools he needed to succeed at such a young age.
"We've never been ones to stereotype," said the goalie's father, Ken Ward, whose company has season tickets to the Oilers. "What was valid for the masses was never appropriate for our children. We wanted them to make their own way in life."
Ward stopped 10 of 11 shots in his NHL debut (though Carolina lost 5-2), and he was back in the nets for the home opener against Pittsburgh. The game went to a shootout, and Ward turned aside Mario Lemieux, Zigmund Palffy and Sidney Crosby to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 win.
"You could see it right there," Wesley recalled. "We knew if we needed him, he would be ready."
When the playoffs rolled around, Ward was needed.
He was ready.