Aaron Ward Interviews - NESN

Aaron Ward Chat: June 9
June 9, 2008
Source: NESN.com

Aaron Ward (12:02): Hey, it's Aaron. Happy to be here and answer any questions you have.	Aaron Ward will remain in Boston after recently extending his contract. (Steve Babineau, Getty Images )
EMO45 (12:05): Where do you think you guys will be most improved next season?
Aaron Ward (12:06): I think we most improved in our level of maturity. Can't discount the effect that the experience of going seven games in the playoffs had on the team.
redsoxs24 (12:06): So Aaron, how do you like playing for the Bruins?
Aaron Ward (12:08): I love it. As a player, you realize the importance of playing on an Original Six team when you are not on the team. It's important as an athlete to feel relevant. And personally, I love everything about living and playing in the city of Boston
Opening Day (12:08): Did you watch the Stanley Cup? What were your thoughts on Detroit's win?
Aaron Ward (12:09): I watched every single game from start to finish and my thoughts on Detroit winning -- it wasn't surprising. That win demonstrates the importance of previous experiences and good leadership.
dotrat71091 (12:09): If you guys are able to sign a high-scoring forward for next season, how much do you think the team can improve?
Aaron Ward (12:10): I think it is the important to analyze how that fit will affect chemistry. We had great improvement over a two-week period of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Now the key is to figure out what ingredient will fit ... and that's not to always say it will be a scorer.
redsoxs24 (12:10): What do you think about the hot weather we are getting?
Aaron Ward (12:11): It's a welcome change, but I moved back home to North Carolina two weeks ago.
EMO45 (12:12): Do you follow other Boston sports teams at all? If not, who do you follow?
Aaron Ward (12:12): Avidly. I follow them all.
dotrat71091 (12:12): Do you find it a better advantage when the Garden has 17,000 fans as opposed to about 13,000 fans?
Aaron Ward (12:13): Definitely. It's a confidence booster as a player to know that you have that many people there to support you. All you have to do is watch the Celtics to see how deafening and intimidating the crowd is.
redsoxs24 (12:13): What do you think about the Celtics?
Aaron Ward (12:14): I think that every single player on my hockey team should be watching the team for the reason that it shows you what response you get from our city when you are successful. And from an athlete's perspective, you can see how many role players can affect the game and affect the direction of the team.
dotrat71091 (12:15): What was it like playing Boston's biggest rivial in the first round of the playoffs, and what did the rivarly mean to you?
Aaron Ward (12:16): There wasn't as much pressure as I thought there would be because from the get-go we were annointed the losers. And personally, I have cultivated a deep hatred for the "bleu, blanc et rouge."
redsoxs24 (12:17): Do you think the Celtics can win the Finals?
Aaron Ward (12:17): Based on my limited basketball knowledge, yes.
boston99 (12:17): Who was your favorite hockey player growing up?
Aaron Ward (12:18): Bob McGill, defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs ... never the best NHL defenseman but nicest hockey camp instructor I had.
dotrat71091 (12:18): Why do you play the whole season with the same pair of skates?
Aaron Ward (12:19): Jokingly, because I'm the Princess and the Pea. ... Honestly, they have to beg to get me out of my skates, because I hate how rigid new skates are. It takes forever to break them in.
dotrat71091 (12:19): What are some of the pratical jokes you guys play on each other on the road?
Aaron Ward (12:21): There aren't that many jokes played any more. The best one I was involved in was with Joe Kocur in Detroit when we moved a full pop machine 60 yards down a hotel hallway and pressed it up against Chris Osgood's hotel room door and made him late for 9 a.m. bus.
GoBCEagles (12:21): What's the most memorable game you've ever played in?
Aaron Ward (12:23): Game 7, Stanley Cup Finals, 2006. Least memorable ... Game 6, 2006, when I was knocked out. I saw the game on NHL.com for the first time yesterday.
redsoxs24 (12:23): Have you ever gotten anybody a pie in the face on your team?
Aaron Ward (12:24): We don't have an opportunity to do that. That's a baseball trick. I have put shaving cream in a towel in the shower room before.
redsoxs24 (12:24): Did you watch the Celtics game last night?
Aaron Ward (12:24): Yep. Whole thing.
dotrat71091 (12:26): Do you ever hear Jack Edwards' crazy reactions to good saves, fights and when we clinched a playoff birth?
Aaron Ward (12:27): I've heard people be critical of how excited he gets on live TV. But I would rather have a sportscaster who cares rather than one who is there merely to do his job.
jpelletier (12:27): What's the real story with the squid on the ice?
Aaron Ward (12:28): It's actually an octopus. There are eight legs on the octopus -- in the older days, instead of 16 wins to win the Stanley Cup, it was eight, so it is symbolic of the Stanley Cup.
boston99 (12:28): What is your favorite team to play?
Aaron Ward (12:29): I would have have to say the Atlanta Thrashers only because as a below-average defensive defenseman, close to 50 percent of my points come off of them.
redsoxs24 (12:29): When you play hockey and get into a fight, do you get nervous you might get hurt?
Aaron Ward (12:30): No. I think the moment leading up to the fight you do, but once you're engaged in it, you are just trying to make contact with your fist to his face.
Abart1609 (12:31): What do the Bruins have to improve on this offseason to make it further into the playoffs next season?
Aaron Ward (12:31): Tough question. As I usually do, I'll refer that question to Peter Chiarelli when he comes to chat. ... Is that politically correct enough?
dotrat71091 (12:32): Do you think coach Claude Julien is deserving of the coach of the year trophy with the great single-season turnaround the team made with this young team?
Aaron Ward (12:32): I think he's deserving, but the tough part is, so are the other candidates.
kellyinri (12:32): Aaron, how close was Patrice Bergeron to playing Game 7?
Aaron Ward (12:32): Very.
akgino (12:32): What are your thoughts on them banning the octapus/squid throwing?
Aaron Ward (12:33): I think people take themselves way too seriously. It's part of the mystique of our game. Although, the rat got to be ridiculous in Florida.
redsox (12:33): What chance does Zdeno Chara have to win the Norris Trophy on Thursday?
Aaron Ward (12:34): Tough question because I played with him and I am biased. I'm assuming pretty good.
jpelletier (12:34): What are you do during the offseason?
Aaron Ward (12:35): Road bike and work out to stay in shape. Barbeque every day, and for leisure, golf and go to the North Carolina coast.
mikebus7 (12:35): I know the AHL has gone with the manditory faceshield. What are your thoughts on it going into effect in the NHL?
Aaron Ward (12:36): I think it's a good idea, but it would have to be grandfathered in for the older players.
redsox (12:36): Hockey players are typically good golfers. How's your game?
Aaron Ward (12:36): Usually pretty good, but based on Monday, needs improvement. Single-digit handicap.
dotrat71091 (12:37): Is there any truth to the rumors (and you might leave this one to Chiarelli, too) that Marian Hossa may come to the Bruins?
Aaron Ward (12:37): Still waiting for Peter's consultation phone call. Ha ha.
redsoxs24 (12:38): Why do you think the Celtics are not doing well at away games?
Aaron Ward (12:38): Refer back to the question about crowds and influence of crowds at the start of the chat. Players may not always admit to the influence and role that a home crowd plays.
mikebus7 (12:39): Play the role of Bruins GM for a minute. What are you doing with the team this offseason? Roster moves, trades, free agents.
Aaron Ward (12:40): Too broad of a question. I've always said you can never pay me enough to be a GM, and I am not starting now. I'd be a bad GM because I wouldn't even know where to start with that question.
EMO45 (12:41): Which players do you enjoy watching most?
Aaron Ward (12:42): Tomas Holmstrom for the amount of abuse he takes. Alexander Ovechkin for the all-around player that he is, and Nick Lidstrom for the player and kind of person he is on and off the ice. I love to watch Milan Lucic and can't wait to see what he brings next year.
dotrat71091(12:43): What is looked for when teams are assigned alternate captains like Glen Murray and Marc Savard?
Aaron Ward (12:44): I'll take Muzz as an exmaple -- he has great skill, great experience and, most importantly, a great rapport with every single player on the team.
mikebus7 (12:44): My opinion, as an educated fan, is the B's need another "scorer" out there. Do you agree with that?
Aaron Ward (12:45): I agree that all 30 teams need a scorer. Tough thing is, will that player fit the mold of your team? And will it fit within the new economics of the team?
redsoxbos04 (12:45): It looks like the Bruins have a pretty bright future. How do you feel about possibly being part of team that can win the championship in the next few years?
Aaron Ward (12:45): I'm excited. That's the whole reason why I signed back here.
juliand (12:48): Do you feel like you have more responsibility being a veteran player on a team with a lot of youth?
Aaron Ward (12:48): Always. It goes with my position on the team. Second oldest behind Muzz. It's a foregone conclusion that I'm expected to be mature enough to play my game and help the younger players along ... and do both well!
redsoxbos04 (12:49): I have to say, Aaron, in my NHL 2008 game I use the Bruins in a season, and you and Chara are the two who just destroy people out there. Pretty good stuff.
Aaron Ward (12:49): That's a first. I'm usually turtle-speed in those games.
dotrat71091 (12:49): What is going to be the starting goaltender situation next year? After Tim Thomas' amazing playoff and regular-season performance, it would only be fair to pay him. But we have Manny Fernandez who is also a great goalie and has a decent salary.
Aaron Ward (12:50): My response to that is this is a great predicament! Most teams are seaching for one goalie to play, and we have a choice between two.
redsoxbos04 (12:51): I'd say Tim Thomas! Gotta be the starter. Hes' way too good.
Aaron Ward (12:51): I respond by saying let training camp be the determining factor.
akgino (12:53): The years you've been on teams that won the Stanley Cup, was there something different about them from the beginning?
Aaron Ward (12:53): Belief -- that's an all-encompassing word -- belief in the concept of your team and yourself. Winning just seems to happen when this occurs.
dotrat71091 (12:54): Without getting you in trouble, do you think that Harry Sinden has been a good commissioner for the NHL?
Aaron Ward (12:56): Might want to ask Gary Bettman how he feels about Harry Sinden taking his job. I think he's done a pretty good job and no matter what, players and executives think differently, so there will always be second-guessing -- I do like the direction hockey is going in now.
redsoxbos04 (12:56): You were on Stanley Cup teams? Which team(s) was that?
Aaron Ward (12:56): 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 Detroit Red Wings 2005-2006 Carolina Hurricanes.
redsoxbos04 (12:57): Wow, you have three. Now you need a fourth one with the black and gold.
Aaron Ward (12:58): Upon the fourth, I will announce my retirement, because it wouldn't get any better than that. I always wanted to go out on a high note. On second thought ...
dotrat71091 (12:58): How many seasons have you been in the NHL?
Aaron Ward (12:59): Considering games played in a season, I've been in the league 14 of my 15 pro years. Thanks everybody who participated. Time to go eat lunch.

NHL News

Navigation

Quick Links