JANUARY
      31,
      2007
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ward
      e
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Josh
      Lewis
     
     
      Sports
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Joel
      Ward
      is
      loving
      it.
     
    

    
     
      The
      former
      Panthers
      captain,
      who
     
     
      signed
      a
      contract
      with
      the
      NHL’s
      Min-
     
     
      nesota
      Wild
      in
      September,
      has
      been
      re-
     
     
      called
      twice
      by
      the
      team
      since
      December.
     
    

    
     
      He
      was
      first
      called
      up
      from
      the
      Hous-
     
     
      tom-Aeros
      of
      the
      AHL
      Dec.
      13.
      He
     
     
      played
      six
      games,
      scoring
      one
      point
      —
      an
     
     
      assist
      in
      his
      hometown
      of
      Toronto
      on
     
     
      Boxing
      Day.
      After
      being
      sent
      down
      Jan.
     
     
      2,
      he
      was
      quickly
      recalled
      eight
      days
      later
     
     
      after
      injuries
      to
      Wild
      forwards
      Mark
      Par-
     
     
      rtish
      and
      Derek
      Boogaard.
     
    

    
     
      Ward
      said
      the
      first
      call
      came
      as
      a
      sur-
     
     
      prise.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      was
      pretty
      ecstatic,’
      Ward
      said
      from
     
     
      Minnesota
      recently.
      “I
      was
      out
      Christ-
     
     
      mas
      shopping
      and
      got
      a
      call
      from
      my
     
     
      coach
      saying
      ‘be
      prepared,
      you
      might
      get
     
     
      called
      up.’
      (The
      Wild)
      played
      out
      west
     
     
      that
      night
      and
      after
      the
      game
      they
      called
     
     
      and
      said
      I
      was
      going
      up.
      I
      was
      pretty
     
     
      shocked.
      It
      came
      out
      of
      nowhere.
      I
     
     
      packed
      my
      bags
      and
      went
      from
      there.”
     
     
      Ward,
      who
      played
      his
      first
      NHL
      game
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      Vancouver
      Dec.
      16,
      couldn’t
      have
     
     
      picked
      a
      better
      way
      to
      make
      his
      debut.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      was
      pretty
      cool.
      I
      got
      to
      start
      the
     
     
      game,
      on
      Hockey
      Night
      In
      Canada,
     
     
      standing
      out
      there
      for
      the
      national
     
     
      anthem.
      It
      was
      pretty
      nerve-wracking,
     
     
      but
      once
      the
      puck
      drops,
      you
      go
      out
     
     
      there
      and
      try
      to
      have
      some
      fun.
      It
      was
      an
     
     
      unbelievable
      experience.”
     
    

    
     
      Ward,
      26,
      described
      his
      first
      NHL
     
     
      point
      as
      a
      fluke,
      but
      was
      happy
      to
      have
     
     
      gotten
      it
      at
      home.
     
    

    
     
      “Boogaard
      made
      a
      hit,
      smoked
      a
      de-
     
     
      fenseman.
      I
      barely
      grazed
      the
      puck
      and
      it
     
     
      went
      back
      to
      Kurtis
      Foster
      at
      the
      point.
     
     
      He
      took
      a
      shot,
      it
      got
      through
      a
      few
      legs
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SHROOM1
     
     
      Mushroom
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Swissburger
     
     
      Fries
      +
      Pop
      =
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FY¥7]O0
     
    
   
   
    
     
      +
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SPORTS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      njoying
      NHL
      experience
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eee
      Se
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      went
      in.
      It
      wasn’t
      the
      greatest
      assist,
     
     
      but
      I'll
      take
      it.
     
     
      He
      said
      getting
      his
      first
      point
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pretty
      cool,
      but
      they
      didn’t
      win
      the
      game.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “That
      would
      have
      made
      it
      even
      nicer,
     
     
      playing
      in
      front
      of
      a
      lot
      of
      friends
      and
     
     
      family.
      But
      it
      was
      good
      to
      get
      that
      game
     
     
      over
      with
      at
      the
      same
      time.”
     
    

    
     
      Ward
      is
      now
      back
      in
      Houston
      after
     
     
      being
      sent
      down
      Jan.
      16,
      but
      said
      he’ll
     
     
      never
      forget
      his
      first
      taste
      of
      the
      NHL.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      was
      the
      greatest
      experience
      of
      my
     
     
      life.
      It
      will
      stay
      in
      my
      memory
      for
      the
     
     
      rest
      of
      my
      life.”
     
    

    
     
      Ward
      said
      being
      in
      the
      NHL
      is
      a
      sharp
     
     
      contrast
      to
      the
      life
      he
      lived
      a
      few
      years
     
     
      ago.
     
    

    
     
      “Being
      on
      the
      chartered
      planes
      was
     
     
      pretty
      cool,
      and
      staying
      at
      nice
      hotels.
     
     
      And
      here
      I
      am
      thinking
      back
      to
      when
      I
     
     
      lived
      on
      Queen
      Street,
      walking
      to
      school
     
     
      every
      day,’
      Ward
      chuckled.
      “I’m
      like
      a
     
     
      kid
      in
      the
      candy
      store.”
     
    

    
     
      Ward
      said-the
      reality
      of
      playing
      in
      the
     
     
      world’s
      top
      hockey
      league
      hit
      him
      when
     
     
      he
      found
      out
      he’d
      be
      rooming
      with
      de-
     
     
      fenseman
      Kim
      Johnsson.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      told
      Johnsson
      I
      took
      him
      in
      my
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      *¢
      10
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      playoff
      pool
      a
      couple
      of
      years
      ago,
      and
     
     
      now
      I’m
      sitting
      next
      to
      him,”
      he
      laughed.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Wild
      rookie
      hasn’t
      been
      initiated
     
     
      yet
      by
      his
      new
      teammates,
      but
      he
      knows
     
     
      that
      may
      not
      last
      forever.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      sleep
      with
      one
      eye
      open
      on
      the
     
     
      toad,”
      he
      said.
      “I’ve
      been
      trying
      to
      keep
     
     
      under
      the
      radar.
      Nothing’s
      really
      hap-
     
     
      pened,
      so
      I’ve
      been
      hanging
      in
      there,
     
     
      keeping
      my
      mouth
      shut.”
     
    

    
     
      Despite
      being
      returned
      to
      the
      Aeros,
     
     
      Ward
      now
      knows
      he:can
      compete
      with
     
     
      the
      world’s
      best.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      think
      I’ve
      matured
      a
      lot
      more
      the
     
     
      second
      time
      up.
      The
      first
      experience
     
     
      was
      neat,
      but
      going
      back
      down
      and
      up
     
     
      gave
      me
      more
      confidence
      and
      helped
      my
     
     
      game.”
     
    

    
     
      Ward
      said
      becoming
      more
      comfortable
     
     
      with
      his
      play
      has
      allowed
      him
      to
      concen-
     
     
      trate
      on
      the
      task
      at
      hand.
     
    

    
     
      “Once
      you
      gain
      confidence
      at
      this
     
     
      level,
      you
      can
      get
      up
      here
      and
      do
      your
     
     
      thing,
      You
      eliminate
      mistakes
      as
      much
     
     
      as
      possible
      and
      build
      off
      of
      it.
      As
      long
     
     
      as
      the
      team’s
      winning
      as
      well,
      that
      helps.
     
     
      Hopefully
      I
      can
      do
      my
      part
      and
      keep
      my
     
     
      job.”