Ward: Back 'shouldn't be a problem'

Cam Ward is back. And, he says, without any back pain.

The Canes' goaltender joined Eric Staal at Canada's Olympic orientation camp last week in Calgary, but had to sit out the first day with a sore back. It was the same problem, Ward said today after a workout at the RecZone, that hurt him in the Eastern Conference playoff finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A setback in his bid to make the Olympic team?

"I don't think so," Ward said. "I didn't want to go out there (on the ice) unless I was 100 percent. There's no point going out there and showing them 85 percent and getting lit up by some great players.

"I wanted to make sure that I was feeling 100 percent when I went out there so I could perform to my capabilities, keeping in mind we have the Hurricanes' (preseason) camp here in a couple of weeks. So I wanted to make sure I was healthy for that, too."

Ward said the injury was "much the same" as in the Penguins playoff series — starting as a spasm, followed by stiffness — and that it was worrisome as he prepared to go to Calgary.

"It was a pretty stressful week going into the camp because I was a little bit worried that I wasn't going to be able to participate," he said. "But after getting some medication and some treatment done and sitting out that first day, I was able to go in there and practice and feel good about my health.

"It's something that as long as I take care of it, it shouldn't be a problem. ... I'm feeling a lot better. To be able to come back and go out on the ice today, I felt great out there. ... It's not something that's lingered more than a week."

The four-day camp ended with a high-flying Red-White scrimmage at the Saddledome that was akin to an All-Star game, given the players on the two teams. Ward replaced Roberto Luongo in goal in the second period for the Red opposite the White's Martin Brodeur.

"Obviously there's top-quality talent," Ward said. "It was a lot of fun. They created a great atmosphere by selling out the Saddledome. You could tell not only the city but the whole country was pretty excited for that scrimmage.

"It was a pretty wide-open game, as you would expect. All goalies played pretty well. It will only push you harder. There's a lot of great goaltenders have the opportunity to make that team. I hope I get to be there come list time in December."

Talk about competition. The goalies: Ward, Brodeur, Luongo, Marc-Andre Fleury and Steve Mason. The selection committee has a lot to pick from out of that group.

Does Ward like his chances?

"I do," he said. "I felt comfortable on the ice there. There's a reason why you get invited to an orientation camp like that — because you're in consideration and someone's that caught their eye.

"I think a lot of of it is going to dictate on how you perform at the start of the season up until December when they name the team. I'm excited for the season to start. I'm excited about the team we have here. I'm excited to get things going again."