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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: OILERS v HURRICANESJune 6, 2006Rod Brind'AmourCam WardRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: Practice Day Q. Cam, has the aura of the Stanley Cup weighed on your mind at all, the fact that you're in your first one, and so quickly, and how has it impacted you in any way? CAM WARD: Well, obviously it's exciting. You know, I've been kind of saying throughout the entire playoffs, I don't really want to pinch myself quite yet. Obviously, we're enjoying the ride and you couldn't be doing it with a better group of guys. As tough as it may seem, just try to go out there and treat it like any other game. Q. Rod, can you talk about Glen Wesley last night, the shift where he got hit with a couple of shots, he's killing penalties and limping around on the ice and I understand he played a pretty significant role leadership-wise in coming back? ROD BRIND'AMOUR: That's Glenny to a T right there, that's what he brings to our team. He's not going to score too many goals but he's going to prevent a whole bunch and he's going to do whatever he has to to win. Obviously at this time of year they get magnified and you notice it, but that's how he's played his whole career and how he's played all year for us especially this year. Q. Can you talk about how Roloson's injury changes the series. ROD BRIND'AMOUR: I'm not sure. I mean, I think, it doesn't do much for us. It's not going to change our game plan. I don't know how it affects them or not. It might help them, might make them more focused or whatever. Who knows. I don't know how -- I think you're going to know the answer when this is all said and done, but right now, I'm not really sure. I know it doesn't affect our game plan whatsoever. Q. Without getting into specifics, what was the gist of what was said in the second intermission before the start of the third period to get you going? ROD BRIND'AMOUR: Well, kind of a broken record to be honest with you. I mentioned this a lot, all I said was we're not playing our game but we still have a chance to win. Let's get to it and see what happens. If we're going to go down, let's go down swinging a little bit because we were really not doing too much. That's about it. Q. Could you talk about your positioning there on the last play, the goal, where you're supposed to be, what you're supposed to be doing and how you got to pick up a wide-open puck? ROD BRIND'AMOUR: It was a forecheck and they went D to D and I was just following the puck, trying to create a little pressure on the goalie and the defensemen decided to mix it up and I was the beneficiary of it really. You see that play happen probably 100 times a day and without any incident. I just happened to be fortunate for us that it missed up. Q. Your reaction, especially given your background where you're from and everything, your reaction to seeing the goalie go down at the other end and being out for the series, is there any regret in there? CAM WARD: Well, you definitely feel for Dwayne. Obviously he's a big part of their hockey club and a big reason why they are here in the first place. As a fellow goaltender, it's tough to see him go down like that. But, you know, we all hope for a speedy recovery. Q. Can you talk about I guess the mood of the team the day after what is a win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, yet it seems like there's a certain amount of not being satisfied, and in the big picture, you're up a game but yet the guys still seem to be a little on edge. ROD BRIND'AMOUR: Well, that's exactly right. The big picture is we got a win, which is obviously what we wanted to do. I think what's a little bit out there is we didn't play the way we're going to have to play to win more games and we know that. We're going to have to be a heck of a lot better. We can't rely on Cam to make those kind of saves because that doesn't happen. We're going to have to be better and I think we all know that as a team. We're not going to beat the Oilers playing that way. Q. Can you talk about those two key saves Horcoff. CAM WARD: Well, someone mentioned I've got a horseshoe planted pretty tightly. (Laughter). It was one of those instances where Ryan Smyth made a great pass where I kind of anticipated a shot and bit down, just out of pure desperation, just threw my glove out and it just so happened to hit it. That's just a good example of not giving up on the puck, I guess, and getting a little bit lucky at the same time. Q. Can you lend a perspective on surviving those anxious moments and putting the first one behind you? CAM WARD: Well, obviously, you know, it's exciting. It was a tremendous atmosphere, once again. You know, it's important to get that first goal. But it's how you respond from those situations that matter. The first goal, it was a rebound, empty net. The second goal, got a penalty shot and the third one just so happens to be a bad deflection. But we have been in those situations all season long, and once again, we were able to overcome that obstacle without giving up. Q. To follow up on that, in your mind, the scoreboard says 3-0, you're thinking, I'm behind but I have to settle down, do you need to regroup yourself? Just how do you set yourself in a situation like that? CAM WARD: Well, the mental side of the position is such an important part. You have to realize that there's nothing you can do about it after. It's, once again, how you respond from those situations that matter. But you learn from it, and you just -- as tough as it may seem, you move forward and believe that you guys -- that you still have a chance. Q. Rod, at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals you were given a bottle of wine, I want you to talk about what that came from and what it meant to you. ROD BRIND'AMOUR: Well, the story behind it is obviously there's a girl, a young girl, that Coach Laviolette knows really well, neighbors in the area, that's suffering from cancer. Obviously Lavi just put it out there as just kind of a -- well, the family gave it to him actually to give to a player or something in that Game 7. Basically, a guy that they thought played well, and they used the term relentless and they are trying to raise money -- obviously when you have kids it means a lot more. I know Lavi was choked up a little bit when he talked about it. Really what it did is, it brought everything into perspective again. I think you get caught up in the games, you get caught up in this is life or death, but it isn't. I think that just really hit home to all of us. You know, obviously she still has it but it meant a lot, not just to me, but to all of us, to hear what Lavi said about her and about her family. Q. What's your definition of a speedy recovery? CAM WARD: A speedy recovery, well, obviously, you know, it's not long-term. (Laughter). You know, to get back on the ice as soon as possible. Q. I meant with regards to Dwayne Roloson, you wished him a speedy recovery. CAM WARD: That's what I mean. I hope he comes back. I hope he feels better and it's nothing serious, long-term.
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