Former Blackhawks goaltender Cam Ward signed a one-day contract Wednesday with the Hurricanes to officially retire with Carolina where his NHL career began.
Ward, 35, spent the first 13 years of his career with Carolina before last season when he signed a one-year contract with the Blackhawks to be the team’s backup goaltender behind Corey Crawford, who was coming back from a concussion. Ward was 16-12-4 with a 3.67 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in 33 games for Chicago.
Ward, who was selected 25th overall in the 2002 NHL draft, set several franchise records with Carolina for a goaltender including career regular-season games played (668), wins (318), winning percentage (.557), shutouts (27) and saves (17,261). In his rookie season, he won the 2006 Conn Smythe as the playoffs MVP and the Stanley Cup. He was 334-256-88 with a 2.74 GAA and 27 shutouts in his career between the two teams.
“It was an honor and a privilege to wear the Hurricanes jersey for 13 years,” Ward said in a statement. ”Throughout it all, what stayed clear to me was my love for this organization, this city and this fan base. It is why my family and I call Raleigh home, and will continue to call it home. I appreciate all of the support the fans gave me throughout the highs and the lows. I thank you.
”I’d also like to thank the great teammates, coaches and staff members I worked with during my time as a player in Carolina. I will always treasure my memories as a player at PNC Arena, from winning the Stanley Cup to representing the organization in the All-Star Game. While this wasn’t an easy decision, I’m looking forward to making the transition with my family and seeing what the future holds for me post career.”
Legend pic.twitter.com/CzDbt4pDkS
— Carolina Hurricanes (@CanesNHL) August 28, 2019