NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: HURRICANES v RED WINGS

June 5, 2002

Aaron Ward

AARON WARD: I think we expected to give ourselves a chance to win. We approached the game -- it was a single game; that's how we had to focus on it. I think now that it happened, we have given ourselves a sense of confidence from that.

AARON WARD: Especially not having seen Dominik. Dominik Hasek, only saw him once during the season because he played -- we played against Manny in Raleigh, so there's that idea like it's important that you get it by them as the periods wear on. As an athlete, I think it wears and tears on your mental state.

AARON WARD: I think it starts from the forward situation. They're absolutely taking the responsibility, got a lot of back pressure. You realize how fast Detroit is and how much they are capable of putting the puck behind us. It starts on the forwards. You saw guys absolutely putting out 110% effort in our zone and it kind of relayed itself into helping other defensemen and Arturs obviously -- (inaudible).

AARON WARD: It's tough to say at this point. We're not in that locker room. Don't know what changes they are going to make, if they are going to make any changes. I expect nothing but the best effort they have. It's a perennial All-Star team there. We realize we're up against a pretty big feat now.

AARON WARD: Adjust our style?

AARON WARD: No, I don't think it's hard to adjust. We play a pretty straightforward game. It's four lines doing the same thing, six defensemen doing the same thing, and a goaltender that you hope that at every moment will be there to make that save.

AARON WARD: I haven't gone home yet. We moved and we changed the locks on the door. I haven't got a key for my wife yet. So I haven't gone home yet. I have been to a friend's restaurant, I went to an old hangout as soon as I got home. That's about it. You got to really focus on being with your teammates and the main thing is to focus and not dealing with extra curricula. Especially here in Detroit, being your hometown, you get phone calls and opportunities to go places, but the less you do the better off you are.

AARON WARD: I don't think that was the question. I think one thing we focused on was the fact that we have gone through these Playoffs with 0 -0, 1 -1, 2-2 games and we preached that from the start of the Jersey Series and saw it again in Montreal through to Toronto, that we give ourselves an opportunity to play in a game, when you keep the game close, when we have to go outside of our system of keeping a reserve game playing as a five-man unit out there, with Detroit, if you get behind with them you have to start opening up. That's where you really kill yourselves. So we gave ourselves an opportunity yesterday, and I think that's what we should be happy with right now.

AARON WARD: We have to prepare ourselves for a team that's going to come out with everything. That's basically what we expected yesterday. We have to do the same things we did yesterday night.

AARON WARD: The more you are put in the situation to feel relaxed about playing here, the better off things get for you. But having only played here once and had one opportunity to get rid of those jitters -- I felt it in the first period. And sure, I am going to go out in the next game and feel it again.

AARON WARD: It was a big game, but I think it's nothing that hasn't happened; when we're asked to help out, I think we help out. We're a pretty reserved unit back there. Occasionally we chip in, but the forwards do the biggest job out there.

AARON WARD: Absolutely. It's a guy that holds himself with the utmost class. He expects the guys in the locker room to represent him on and off the ice. Ronnie is a guy that will step in when things need to be said but he's a pretty much laissez-faire kind of captain. Not much needs to be dealt with in this locker room especially at this stage.

AARON WARD: I think veteran guys know what kind of sacrifices were made of getting here. We talked about it for a while now. We have young guys here that I think that inexperience has really helped them because they don't know the pressures, and the things that pull you off on tangents and you can lose your focus easily here, so that inexperience I think has helped some of our younger guys.

AARON WARD: I think he's kind of an example of this team. I don't think at this point it really matters to him. It's the team concept. Everybody asks from Ron Francis on down to the whole team, does it matter that there's that lack of respect. I don't think guys -- I don't think guys concern themselves that we're coming in under the radar. Ronnie Francis looks at the 20 guys in this locker room and I think he's playing for them and we're all playing for him.

AARON WARD: I was going to leave Holmer alone. I should have known for five years that he's doing his job well, he's getting in front of the goalie and he's engaging the defensemen and the goalie. That's something you have to be aware of out there.

AARON WARD: I don't think you ever get to that level of perfection, especially against a team like this, you got to be very aware and -- just capable of implementing over it over but you are never going to be perfect against these guys. They are fast, potent out there, I think there's a little bit of sense of weariness out there.

AARON WARD: No, they have got a big team over there. I don't think there's any advantage gained in physicality of -- I don't think bodies differ. I think we might have matched each other with hits last night.

AARON WARD: All four lines do it. Sometimes I think the effectiveness goes game to game to certain lines, that's what the coaches preach about control of the puck and not giving it away and Joe is a big gangly guy. I know from playing against him in practice he's a tough guy to move and Svoboda is -- I know as skinny as he is, he can really control that puck and same thing with Chelios, three guys working in unison out there.

AARON WARD: It is a tough situation to even attempt to analyze what their emotions are there. I think they are like any other competitive group of guys. They probably are looking to regroup and come out with the same type of effort and hope for a different result.

AARON WARD: I do not think it is a comfort level. I think it's a mentality that you are going to go into the game and the worse thing you can do is change anything about your approach. It is a 20 -- only thing that (inaudible) maybe only thing you change is you take shorter shifts out there because there's not as much rest. But I don't think the approach to the game has changed.

AARON WARD: Especially with the new series I don't think that big confidence can be used right now. You are playing against a team that looking down their roster can definitely put the puck in the net. I think there's that -- that sense of establishing a calm out there, all three lines just maintaining a focus, that's about it. Biggest nerves early on in the game. I was definitely nervous out there. Legs start to be a step behind your brain and things are racing, but as the game wears on you see that, you know, things have a tendency to work themselves out. As it goes on, you relax a little more.