Football
Associated Press 18y

Former backup Gerber shining as a starter with Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Martin Gerber waited patiently for his
opportunity to be a starting goalie in the NHL.

First, there were the two years he spent as the backup to
Jean-Sebastien Giguere in Anaheim. An offseason trade to the
Carolina Hurricanes in 2004 appeared to solve the problem, but the
lockout followed three months later.

And when the league reopened for business and Gerber finally was
all set to be Carolina's No. 1, there were a couple of more
setbacks. He missed part of training camp with a sore back, then
pulled a muscle in his hip in the opener.

Somehow, he took it all in stride.

"You don't look too forward when you start a season," the
Swiss-born Gerber said. "You're just looking at it day-by-day,
especially when you're injured. You don't worry too much about what
could be, about what should be."

Once healthy, he needed only a few weeks to become the
undisputed starter, and his play is one reason the Hurricanes
became the first team to clinch their division. They are 50-20-6,
and their total of 106 points trails only Ottawa in the Eastern
Conference.

Gerber is tied for third-best in the league with 37 victories,
more than double his career total before this season.

"He's just been solid," Carolina captain Rod Brind'Amour said.
"You've got to have solid play by your goaltender if you're going
to have a chance to win night after night."

Few with the Hurricanes are surprised, even though Gerber never
really had done it consistently in the NHL. Brind'Amour remembered
how good he was in a handful of games against the Mighty Ducks, and
GM Jim Rutherford tried previously to obtain Gerber.

Finally, for a relatively small price, he made the move.
Carolina sent minor league defenseman Thomas Malec and a
third-round pick to Anaheim in exchange for Gerber.

Of course, the Mighty Ducks didn't need him. They already had
Giguere.

"We put together a short list of who we had wanted, and Martin
Gerber was on top of that list," Rutherford said. "The question
was, how many games could he play? He's answered that question.
He's handled it very well."

Detroit coach Mike Babcock knows this better than most. In a
victory over the Red Wings in January, Gerber had 36 saves,
including a couple in the waning seconds with the Hurricanes
killing a penalty.

After the game, Babcock, who was Gerber's coach in Anaheim,
shared what has become a common refrain this season.

"That Swiss goalie, he's got no holes in him," Babcock
quipped.

It's a good thing, too. In Carolina's high-scoring system -- its
278 goals trails only the Senators for most in the NHL -- Gerber
often is left alone facing a rush. The new rules that eliminated
most of the clutching and grabbing also provided a challenge.

Through it all, the 32-year-old Gerber has continued to shine.

"Ultimately, it's about production on the ice," Hurricanes
coach Peter Laviolette said. "But what's been so great about Marty
is he has a great, workmanlike mentality. He's very professional.
He wants to play, he'd play all the games if he could."

Gerber has one more year on his contract, and with 22-year-old
Cam Ward already serving as the No. 2 goalie, the future with
Carolina might not include both. For now, Gerber is enjoying not
only his increased role but also living on the East Coast.

He doesn't want to go anywhere.

"It's nice here in Raleigh, the weather's warm," he said. "We
don't have the ocean like we did in Anaheim -- that really was nice
-- but I really like it here. I'd like to stay for a while."

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