In a locker room generally over-run with Red Sox fans, including the coaches and front-office folks, Cam Ward has shown a lot of courage.

He proudly wears a blue baseball cap with "NY" on it.

Yes, the goaltender from Western Canada is a big New York Yankees fan. He also has his chest puffed out a little bit more with the Yankees back in the World Series and playing the Philadelphia Phillies.

Why the Yanks?

DENVER -- Defenseman Tim Gleason likely will miss the Canes' game Friday against the Colorado Avalanche, coach Paul Maurice said today.

Gleason suffered an upper-body injury in the second period of the Canes' 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. He was the only player not to practice today at the Pepsi Center.

"It's day to day but I'm not optimistic for tomorrow," Maurice said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow (but) it's probably better than we originally
thought after the game. He came in better today."

With a quick stroke of the pen, Canes goaltender Cam Ward signed a new six-year contract that will pay him an average of $6.3 million a season.

But while Ward is financially secure, he also is fully aware what a big contract entails.

"I realize I'm being paid to be an elite goaltender," he said today. "I realize there's added pressure that always comes with something like this. I do not want to shy away from it. If anything, I want to rise to the occasion."

The Canes' Cam Ward, a new contract soon to be signed and sealed, faced the ultimate test at the end of today's practice -- shootout shots.

One by one, the players fired shots at Ward. Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen, Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen, Eric Staal ...

Erik Cole finally got the puck past Ward, but it took a nifty spinning backhander.

"It's good for the guys in room, the organization and Cam," Cole later said of Ward's six-year, $37.8 million extension. "Everyone here believes in him. He's earned it.

"He's one of the elite goaltenders in the league."

At an average of $6.3 million per year, Cam Ward's new contract seems like a lot of money. He'll be the second-highest paid player on the team (behind Eric Staal) and the third highest-paid goalie in the NHL next year (among those under contract, based on cap value).

So surely there are long-term ramifications for the Hurricanes? Players cut loose, purse strings tightened, etc.? Actually, no.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward has signed a six-year contract extension that will pay him a total of $37.8 million, general manager Jim Rutherford said today.

"It comes at a good time," Rutherford said. "We were hoping we could get Cam a long-term contract that would keep him with the team, and it's great to get it done before the season begins."

With just four preseason games, it appears the Canes' Cam Ward may end up playing three of them.

Coach Paul Maurice said Ward would start Friday against Atlanta and could be in net again Saturday night in Nashville.

"Some of it's going to be the workload — how many shots Cam faced," Maurice said of the back-to-back. A similar decision will be made on the other regulars based on how much power-play or penalty-kill time they get against the Thrashers.

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, that hurt him in the Eastern Conference playoff finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A setback?

"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."

The back problem that hindered goaltender Cam Ward during the Stanley Cup playoffs and then this week at Canada's Olympic orientation camp is not a major concern, Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today.

Ward sat out the first day of orientation camp in Calgary with a sore back, but then returned.

"It's similar to what happened in the playoffs," Rutherford said. "When you play the position he plays, you're going to have that. But once you know you have an issue like this, you find ways to prepare for him to play the games -- certain exercises to help you."

Rutherford said Ward was given an MRI after the playoffs and that surgery will not be needed. Nor, he said, should it be a lingering problem.

"We had it checked out and it's a minor issue," Rutherford said. "It's just bad timing this week."

The back injury that hindered Canes goalie Cam Ward in the Stanley Cup playoffs apparently is flaring up again.

TSN is reporting that Ward was held out of the first day of the Canadian Olympic orientation camp Monday in Calgary because of soreness.