Aaron Ward Articles - Big Hits, Bigger Heart

Big Hits, Bigger Heart
Milestone Moments Come On, Off the Ice for Canes' Defenseman
Bio \| Ward Goes Bald for a Great Cause
RALEIGH, NC (May 25, 2006) - As one of the more bruising defensemen in the in the NHL, it just doesn't seem right that Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Aaron Ward is this nice of a guy.	Rangers forward Petr Prucha takes the hard hit from Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward during a November 2005 matchup between the Eastern Conference rivals.
But he is.
Whether it's visiting with Ward during his work in the community, or watching him answer questions from the Hurricanes' media contingent - keeping them laughing while he's sporting a shiner that would make Rocky Balboa surly - it's easy to see that Ward's spirit and demeanor are as much a key to the Canes' success as are his on-ice accomplishments.
The 11-year vet established career highs in points (25), goals (6) and assists (19) during Carolina's 2005-06 Southeast Division championship season, and brings a physical element to the Hurricanes' game that can't be described in sheer statistics.
"I just think that comes from our team concept," Ward said. "With success, sometimes players are swept along. It's not just me, or just one or two guys - there's a laundry list of guys in this locker room who have had career years.
"I think the system presents itself where the onus is on the player to basically keep up with the play - not only for offensive reasons to get involved, but defensively to close the gap," he said. "It's a system that works."
Overseas during last season's NHL lockout allowed Ward to expand his game - and prolong his career. The Windsor, Ont. native played for Ingolstadt of the German League, tallying a goal and four assists in 19 regular- and post-season games.
"It was a great experience," Ward said, "Not taking a year off allowed me to keep sharp. Do I think it helped me with this season and to further my career? Absolutely.
Aaron Ward celebrates a ERC Ingolstadt goal with teammates Andy McDonald and Craig Ferguson. Ward said playing in Germany during the NHL lockout helped him add new elements to his game.	"The style of the game in Germany made it so that you had to play with the puck," he said. "You're forced to find that pass - there was that much more wide-open ice. To make the safe play wasn't always the right play. It makes you think, made you look and made you incorporate that style into your game."
	Ward won a pair of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with Detroit in the late 1990s, and is the locker-room leader in Cup wins. A number of stories have been told of players' hijinks during their days with the Cup, but for the most part, Ward used the time he was given to give back to those supported him as a young hockey player in Michigan.
	"I'd been in Michigan since I was 16, and I think that's where I learned the value of community, the value of charity and the value of having some influence on where you live," he said. "So, I rewarded the people that were great to me when they didn't have to be. I surprised friends and people who gave me my anonymity, and let me just be who I was."
After both wins, Ward brought the Stanley Cup into a number of hometown businesses and restaurants before paying a visit to the University of Michigan's CS Mott Childrens Hospital. Those visits were followed by 400-person, invite-only parties, in which Ward picked up the tab in exchange for donations to area charities.
Ward won a pair of Stanley Cup championships as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, and looks forward to raising the Cup again with Carolina this season.	Ward won a pair of Stanley Cup championships as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, and looks forward to raising the Cup again with Carolina this season.
Then, the aforementioned hijinks ensued. Alas, they were nothing of legendary proportions, but enough for Ward and his friends to draw a bit of attention.
"The parties always spilled over to my house," Ward said with a laugh. "We had the cops called on us both times, but it's surprising what the cops will look past once they see the Stanley Cup in your living room."
Memories of those championship seasons drive Ward in his quest to win a third Stanley Cup this season with Carolina.
"When there is a long absence since the last time you've won it, you really ache for it," Ward said. "It's infectious - when it starts to get close, it becomes a more serious endeavor. You want to do anything and everything possible to get there and win it again."
That's comforting for Ward's Carolina teammates and coaches, who know that Ward will lay it all on the line every time he takes the ice.
"He's been really steady the entire year - he's had a career year and it's translating throughout the playoffs," Carolina Hurricanes head coach Peter Laviolette said. "Aaron plays physical minutes, blocks shots, plays defensive minutes and can help out offensively as well. He's been really good for us."
Laviolette paired Ward with Olympian bronze medalist Frantisek Kaberle, and although the duo couldn't have more different personalities, they've melded into a solid defensive tandem on the ice.
"I'm very happy playing with Frank," Ward said. "Basically, the coaches chose to match up a bigmouth like myself with a quiet guy that you can't pry a word out of."
Ward and wife, Kelly, are tireless advocates for children's charities.	An affable guy with a quick wit and big heart, Ward is universally liked by his teammates. It's a sentiment shared by the local chapter of the Professional Writers Association, who recently named Ward their "Good Guy" for 2005-06 because of his cooperation with the media here in Raleigh.
	Ward was also the Hurricanes' nominee for the NHL's King Clancy Award, given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy contribution in his community.
	This year alone, Ward served as the spokesperson for the RBC Center/Hurricanes Toys for Tots Drive, the Literacy Council of Wake County and the Kids 'N Community Foundation's Casino Night fundraiser.
	"I'm a big believer in karma," Ward said, "I believe that if you enjoy your community, you should give something back to it. I love the environment of the Raleigh area - I love everything about where I live, the people I live around, and the friends I've made.
"Whether you use your influence through the game or just give some of your time," he said, "it's essential as an athlete and as a person - and someone who now considers themselves as part of this community - that you give something back to the city that has given a lot to you."
After returning from Germany last season, Ward accepted a neighbor's invitation to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure. It was a wonderful experience, Ward said, particularly because he was just another face in the crowd.	Both on and off the ice, Ward puts his heart and soul into everything he does. He was the Hurricanes' 2005-06 nominee for the King Clancy Award, given to the 'player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy contribution in his community.'
"It was very rewarding to contribute to a charity not based on who you are," he said. "I loved running a 5K and having no one care who I was.
"I felt more accomplishment being a nobody in a crowd of somebodys - all these people were breast cancer survivors or were running in honor of someone."
Ward is also active with police organizations, including the Police Athletic Leagues in both Raleigh and Detroit, and has been an organizer for fundraising events for the families of fallen officers with the Raleigh Police Department and the United States Secret Service.
"Aaron really thinks about the community and what's going on," Laviolette said. "It gets noticed around by the community, by his teammates and people around the league as well. He's a caring guy.
"I think any time you set the right example and do the right things, the young players on the team will see that."
During the preseason, Ward helped to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina when he volunteered to sign autographs at a Raleigh Downtown Live event to benefit the American Red Cross. In March, he shaved his head to raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, and is also an active supporter of both the Smile Train and the Teammates for Kids Foundation.
In September 2005, Ward (right) and Hurricanes teammate Niclas Wallin met with fans to raise support for victims of Hurricane Katrina	"In terms of childrens' charities, a lot of that is my wife Kelly's influence on me," Ward said. "I always call her the 'do-gooder democrat,' because she's always for the well-being of all. She always says that if it's there's a moment when you can give, do it."
	And after all the giving, Ward still had time to squeeze in a career season - one that finally garnered him the attention that teammates say is well-deserved and overdue.
	"He's always been good - I think he's underrated in a lot of aspects," said Carolina captain Rod Brind'Amour, one of just four Hurricanes players with more franchise games played than Ward.
	"Right now, he's a rock back there. He makes the kinds of plays that don't end up getting shown in highlight films, but they are huge, and he does it over and over, all year long.
"He's a good guy, a character, and a very likeable guy," Brind'Amour said. "He goes beyond the call of duty - he's a caring guy that fits this community and this team well."
On April 10, Aaron and Kelly welcomed a daughter, Libby, into the world to join their son, Liam, around the house. Fatherhood has provided benefits and feelings like nothing else can, Ward said.
"Liam is three now, and one of the most rewarding things for me is that I've got a son who understands what his dad does, and he loves what I do," he said. "He likes coming here. He has got a grasp on it, and I feel satisfied that down the road, he'll know what his dad did early in his life."
Teammates said the off-ice changes in Ward's life have made him a better player as well.	"[Aaron's] focus has been better than I have ever seen it," Hurricanes defenseman Bret Hedican said. Ward played 71 regular-season games for the Hurricanes this season, posting career highs in points, goals and assists.
"I think Aaron has been tremendous this year, and I think the main thing this year is that his focus has been better than I have ever seen it," defenseman Bret Hedican said. "Since having kids, I think he's just a little more focused on his life - his wife and children and his job.
"Sometimes a family life can help a player as to where they respect what they do as a job as well as their family, and I think he's really done that."
And to Ward, that means putting things in their proper place - something he hadn't always done.
"Family's never a distraction - it comes first," he said. "It's not about you. Having a family really grounds you and gets you back to the basics - not just in terms of the influence you have on them, but the influence they have on you as well.
"Since having a family, I'm less concerned about returning calls to people I kind of know, or taking care of things that don't have to be taken care of right at that moment," he said. "I go home and soak up the fun of being a dad to kids who think you are the best thing in the world."

Source: CarolinaHurricanes.com, David Pond

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