Hall of Fame Mailbag: Cam Ward
Your questions, answered by the Canes legendary netminder
(Please Note: Some questions have been edited for clarity.)
How did you overcome the pressure of being a rookie goalie in the playoffs and cup finals and seize the moment? - @dustin\_2122
Years of preparation. The mental side of the position for goaltenders is so important and I give a lot of credit to my parents for the way that I was raised. They made sure I was ready to handle certain situations.
A lot of practice, too. During my time in Red Deer (WHL), I had the opportunity to go deep into the playoffs three years in a row, and I think that gave me a lot of experience. It made it a lot easier to make that jump and be in a similar situation.
Favorite memory as a Hurricane, outside of winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe? - @baileyycurtiss
The All-Star Game.
Not just because of the fact that I had the opportunity to play in it, but I was really proud of the way that the city hosted the event in 2011. To be able to be a part of that as a home participant was a lot of fun for me. It was a great experience.
Favorite or funniest locker room moment as a member of the team? - @MPS721
There were a lot of fun times that happened inside our locker room, but the guy that could always get me to laugh the hardest was Chad Larose.
He was my roommate for my first two or three years in the league. He could lighten up the room. He was a lot of fun to be around.
Do you have a favorite mask that you wore? Pads? - @LukeAsheland / @shark\_pant
My favorite set of pads was probably my Stanley Cup pads. That design, in general, with the iceberg, seemed to be an early staple in my career. I changed up the colors a few times along the way, but that design stayed with me.
As far as masks go, it was like Christmas morning every year when you'd get your new mask in. The people that painted by mask, EYECANDYAIR out of Toronto, always did a great job. Each year they seemed to do better and better. Obviously, the pirate skull was kind of the staple throughout my career.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to the young Junior Canes who aspire to play in the NHL? - @Erich\_K8
My dad's motto growing up was "the more fun you have, the better you do."
It's easy to get caught up in the pressures and you lose sight of just having fun. I would tell them to work hard and don't lose the fun of the game.
How does he feel about being a big reason why a lot of Hurricanes fans in their mid-20s to early 30s became hockey fans/players? - @jaredellis\_96
It means a lot to me. I remember growing up as a kid and having a lot of role models that played in the NHL. I know what that meant to me and trying to achieve my dream of playing in the NHL.
To know that I've made that impact means a lot. Over my time in Carolina, I've seen the game and youth hockey grow significantly. It's great to see. I've heard many great things about the success of the Junior Canes and I hope that continues.
Why did you choose to play goalie? And if he didn't end up an NHLer what would you do? - @cococaniac
My dad was a goalie. He never played at a high level professionally, but he was my biggest role model growing up. I wanted to be like him.
He was able to teach me a lot about the position and I just like being the last line of defense. I liked making that save in big situations and having that responsibility.
If I didn't play in the NHL... that's a great question. I'd like to think it would've been something involved in sports. I enjoyed golf and baseball. Maybe coaching. Anything really that would've allowed me to be involved in helping kids.
How did Cam get into wine? What's his favorite thing about owning a winery/wine business? - @ArcherForCanes
I got into wine basically when I turned pro. We had a lot of veteran players on our team that enjoyed wine. I always credited Ray Whitney for getting me into it.
I fell in love with Napa Cabernet and I became a collector. Then, when you become a collector, you meet a lot of people inside the business, and that led my partner and me to be able to start
Vinyard 36 with Tim Gleason
.
As for my favorite wine,
our new Verses bottle
, we're extremely excited about that. It's 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Cabernet, so it makes it a unique blend. We're very proud of it.
As a collector, one of my favorites is Continuum Estate.
Favorite arena to play in that's not PNC? - @PapiMuffinMan
I'd probably say Bell Center in Montreal. It's such a unique experience. It brings me back to when I got the opportunity to start Game 3 there in the playoffs.
It was our Stanley Cup year and we had 20,000 fans there. They're loud and passionate, just like the Caniacs, so it makes for a great atmosphere. I always enjoyed playing there.
Not a member of Twitter? We're always happy to take questions at [email protected] as well!
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