Tipped Off
08-28-2006, 12:55 PM
Irving happily follows Ward's path
Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com Senior Writer
Photo Credit: Leland Irving
Leland Irving certainly doesn't lack a road map to NHL success.
The 18-year-old Irving admits to partially modeling his game -- both on and off the ice -- after Cam Ward. Yes, the same Cam Ward who came out of relative obscurity this past season as a 22-year-old to assume the Carolina Hurricanes' starting goalie job in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and lead that franchise to its first Stanley Cup championship with a seven-game win against the Edmonton Oilers. Ward, in his first NHL season, earned the Conn Smythe Trophy for his storybook performance.
Amazingly, both players are from the suburbs of Edmonton, Alberta. Ward calls Sherwood Park home, while Irving grew up in Spruce Grove.
Also, Irving -- like Ward once did -- plays his junior hockey in the Western Hockey League. Ward played for Red Deer and Irving presently plays for Everett.
But, the similarities don't stop there.
In the past, both attended the same summer hockey camp in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. There, Ward was an instructor and Irving an impressionable camper.
Both players share the same goalie consultant in Ian Clark, president of the Goalie Development Institute. And, as of June, both players are now high NHL Entry Draft picks. Ward was taken by Carolina with the 25th pick of the 2002 draft. Irving, meanwhile, was selected one pick later by Calgary, No. 26, in the '06 draft in Vancouver.
"(Ward's) a great guy on and off the ice and he's a real role model for me," Irving said. "I'm able to watch him and take parts of his game and apply them to mine. I'm just watching him as a person, taking little things that he says and things like that. I try to be somewhat like him."
The Calgary Flames certainly don't mind Irving's choice of role models, despite the fact that Ward plays for another NHL team.
Irving is not the only one who talks about a link to Ward and the connections go much further than simple hero worship. Anyone who has seen Irving play has, at one time or another, mentioned the goalie's similarities to Ward's on-ice style.
"They are both very calm, confident goalies," said Clarke, who has worked with Leland for the past four years and Ward for the past six. "Not confident in a cocky way, but confident in their own abilities and showing a calmness and a confidence that rubs off on teammates."
Irving, who had a 1.91 goals-against average and .925 save percentage last year as the Everett Silvertips won a WHL division title, is flattered by the comparisons, but admits he has a long way to go before he can approach Ward's level.
"I don't think I could put myself up on that level with Cam Ward," Irving said. "Every thing he has done is just amazing. He is also just a calm, laid-back kind of guy and really modest and I think a lot of guys -- goalies especially -- can benefit from watching him.
"Growing up and developing as a goalie, I watch guys like Ward and try to do everything to be as good as them. It is definitely a great honor to be compared to Cam Ward. He's a great goalie and deserves all the recognition he has gotten."
Clark, who also serves as a goalie consultant for the Vancouver Canucks, says Leland has a goaltending skill set, as well as an off-ice demeanor, that are very similar to that of Ward.
"Leland is a real quiet guy, but when he gets into that net, he has immaculate technique," Clark said. "There's lots of goalies out there with immaculate technique, but to translate that technique to game situations is unique and Leland is able to do that. That is also something that Cam is able to do. They are both technically immaculate goalies."
Irving, it appears, also has the mental makeup to handle the challenges he will face going forward. After all, he has already beaten cancer, an opponent far more insidious than any other he will face on the ice. At 8-years-old, Irving was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that most often strikes children. It has a 30-percent fatality rate. Irving underwent a year of chemotherapy to eradicate the cancer, which was located on his ear. Even while battling the disease, he rarely missed a game or practice.
"Being 8-years-old, I was pretty young and didn't know all of what was going on, but I got through it with the support from my family, my friends, my classmates. I was fortunate," Irving said.
Such a positive outlook on life, forged at such an early age, has allowed Irving to appear older than his 18 years. He already has a maturity that belies his teen-age status.
He understood and accepted the fact that a recurring groin injury cut short his first camp with Calgary at July's development camp, curtailing his plans to further impress Calgary's brass with his play,. He can even accept, begrudgingly, that it cost him playing time at Team Canada's Junior Evaluation Camp in late July.
He hopes his past performances will speak loudly in his bid to earn a place on the Canadian squad that will perform at the World Junior Championships this winter in Sweden.
"I'm pretty naturally a calm guy," he says.
After all, Irving has his eyes on a much bigger prize. He has plans to be an NHL goalie some day soon. He's not sure that it will come via the four-year plan that Cam Ward followed not only to reach the NHL, but win the Stanley Cup. But, Irving is sure it will come.
"It's hard to believe that any guy four years from (this draft) can be like that," Irving said, the day before he was selected by the Flames. "To put together a string of goaltending like that is unbelievable, especially at that young of an age for a goaltender. Like I said, 'Wardo' is up on a plateau of his own. He plays like he's been a 10-year pro already. (Four years) is out of my time line. I'm just looking toward next year right now. Four years down the road is still a long way away. I'll be doing everything I can to make it to that next level. I know it's going to take a lot of hard work and it's still a long way away."
But, at least it seems Irving has a proper road map to follow in his travels.
Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com Senior Writer
Photo Credit: Leland Irving
Leland Irving certainly doesn't lack a road map to NHL success.
The 18-year-old Irving admits to partially modeling his game -- both on and off the ice -- after Cam Ward. Yes, the same Cam Ward who came out of relative obscurity this past season as a 22-year-old to assume the Carolina Hurricanes' starting goalie job in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and lead that franchise to its first Stanley Cup championship with a seven-game win against the Edmonton Oilers. Ward, in his first NHL season, earned the Conn Smythe Trophy for his storybook performance.
Amazingly, both players are from the suburbs of Edmonton, Alberta. Ward calls Sherwood Park home, while Irving grew up in Spruce Grove.
Also, Irving -- like Ward once did -- plays his junior hockey in the Western Hockey League. Ward played for Red Deer and Irving presently plays for Everett.
But, the similarities don't stop there.
In the past, both attended the same summer hockey camp in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. There, Ward was an instructor and Irving an impressionable camper.
Both players share the same goalie consultant in Ian Clark, president of the Goalie Development Institute. And, as of June, both players are now high NHL Entry Draft picks. Ward was taken by Carolina with the 25th pick of the 2002 draft. Irving, meanwhile, was selected one pick later by Calgary, No. 26, in the '06 draft in Vancouver.
"(Ward's) a great guy on and off the ice and he's a real role model for me," Irving said. "I'm able to watch him and take parts of his game and apply them to mine. I'm just watching him as a person, taking little things that he says and things like that. I try to be somewhat like him."
The Calgary Flames certainly don't mind Irving's choice of role models, despite the fact that Ward plays for another NHL team.
Irving is not the only one who talks about a link to Ward and the connections go much further than simple hero worship. Anyone who has seen Irving play has, at one time or another, mentioned the goalie's similarities to Ward's on-ice style.
"They are both very calm, confident goalies," said Clarke, who has worked with Leland for the past four years and Ward for the past six. "Not confident in a cocky way, but confident in their own abilities and showing a calmness and a confidence that rubs off on teammates."
Irving, who had a 1.91 goals-against average and .925 save percentage last year as the Everett Silvertips won a WHL division title, is flattered by the comparisons, but admits he has a long way to go before he can approach Ward's level.
"I don't think I could put myself up on that level with Cam Ward," Irving said. "Every thing he has done is just amazing. He is also just a calm, laid-back kind of guy and really modest and I think a lot of guys -- goalies especially -- can benefit from watching him.
"Growing up and developing as a goalie, I watch guys like Ward and try to do everything to be as good as them. It is definitely a great honor to be compared to Cam Ward. He's a great goalie and deserves all the recognition he has gotten."
Clark, who also serves as a goalie consultant for the Vancouver Canucks, says Leland has a goaltending skill set, as well as an off-ice demeanor, that are very similar to that of Ward.
"Leland is a real quiet guy, but when he gets into that net, he has immaculate technique," Clark said. "There's lots of goalies out there with immaculate technique, but to translate that technique to game situations is unique and Leland is able to do that. That is also something that Cam is able to do. They are both technically immaculate goalies."
Irving, it appears, also has the mental makeup to handle the challenges he will face going forward. After all, he has already beaten cancer, an opponent far more insidious than any other he will face on the ice. At 8-years-old, Irving was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that most often strikes children. It has a 30-percent fatality rate. Irving underwent a year of chemotherapy to eradicate the cancer, which was located on his ear. Even while battling the disease, he rarely missed a game or practice.
"Being 8-years-old, I was pretty young and didn't know all of what was going on, but I got through it with the support from my family, my friends, my classmates. I was fortunate," Irving said.
Such a positive outlook on life, forged at such an early age, has allowed Irving to appear older than his 18 years. He already has a maturity that belies his teen-age status.
He understood and accepted the fact that a recurring groin injury cut short his first camp with Calgary at July's development camp, curtailing his plans to further impress Calgary's brass with his play,. He can even accept, begrudgingly, that it cost him playing time at Team Canada's Junior Evaluation Camp in late July.
He hopes his past performances will speak loudly in his bid to earn a place on the Canadian squad that will perform at the World Junior Championships this winter in Sweden.
"I'm pretty naturally a calm guy," he says.
After all, Irving has his eyes on a much bigger prize. He has plans to be an NHL goalie some day soon. He's not sure that it will come via the four-year plan that Cam Ward followed not only to reach the NHL, but win the Stanley Cup. But, Irving is sure it will come.
"It's hard to believe that any guy four years from (this draft) can be like that," Irving said, the day before he was selected by the Flames. "To put together a string of goaltending like that is unbelievable, especially at that young of an age for a goaltender. Like I said, 'Wardo' is up on a plateau of his own. He plays like he's been a 10-year pro already. (Four years) is out of my time line. I'm just looking toward next year right now. Four years down the road is still a long way away. I'll be doing everything I can to make it to that next level. I know it's going to take a lot of hard work and it's still a long way away."
But, at least it seems Irving has a proper road map to follow in his travels.