Thoughts from Game 7

Monday, June 19, 2006 | Feedback | Print Entry

• The Hurricanes needed a good start, and they got it. Carolina defenseman Aaron Ward put his team on the scoreboard at 1:26 of the first period. The scoring sequence actually started in the neutral zone, when Oilers defenseman Steve Staios turned the puck over at the center line. On the counterattack, Matt Cullen had a good scoring chance stopped by goalie Jussi Markkanen. The Oilers couldn't clear the puck. Veteran winger Mark Recchi managed to get it to an open Ward on the right point. The lumbering defenseman stepped in from the right point and ripped a shot through a maze of players and past Markkanen to the blocker side.

• Now that Cam Ward has won the Conn Smythe Trophy, I guess we can stop calling him a rookie. The kid earned the honor with his brilliant play in goal for the Canes. Time after time during these playoffs, he came up with timely saves. And Game 7 was no different. On the Oilers' first power play, he made a pair of big stops to keep the lead for his team. First, he turned back Chris Pronger's blue line blast. Then Ward stopped the dangerous Fernando Pisani on a rebound chance. With just 3:40 left in the third period, he made a Cup-saving stop on another Pisani rebound chance. This time, he fully extended his left leg to get a pad on the golden scoring chance. Make no mistake -- Ward deserved the playoff MVP honor.  
 

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  • E.J. Hradek E.J. Hradek

    E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.

    In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.

    Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.


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