Canes' grittiness impressed Ward

Aaron Ward had a look at the Hurricanes from the other side in last year's Stanley Cup playoffs. A defenseman for the Boston Bruins, Ward believed the B's were good enough, strong enough to win the Cup. The Bruins were the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, only to be beaten by the Canes in the conference semifinals. His impression of the Canes? "Gritty," Ward said this week. "They were steadfast in the way they played the game. They were very, very smart. "We didn't take them lightly. We knew we were up against a solid opponent. I didn't think the first game (4-1 Boston win) was indicative of how the series was going to go. "They were stingy, in every zone. It's hard to play against a team like that. As much as we tried to impose our will with our physicality, there was no part of them that was intimidated by it. In fact, if was oftentimes used against us." In retrospect, did the B's feel more pressure in Gam...