Former Washington Capitals right winger Joel Ward announced his retirement from the NHL in a Players’ Tribune article Monday.
Ward played 726 games across 11 seasons in the NHL, including four years with the Capitals. He broke into the NHL with the Minnesota Wild and spent three years with Nashville before Washington, and most recently played in 2017-18 for the San Jose Sharks, his third and final season there.
“I know I didn’t play the last two years, but I tried. I did,” Ward wrote in his retirement piece. “I wish I could have gone out in a bit of a different way. But, you know, just thinking about it all — all 726 games — I realized something. Who am I to wish for any more time? I got what I wanted. I’m one of the lucky ones.”
“I just didn’t want to think I was just vanishing away,” Ward said.
Another role Ward might explore in retirement is league outreach. Ward, a black Canadian whose parents are from Barbados, has talked with some league officials about the problem of racism in hockey culture. Most recently, New York Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller was subjected to racial epithets in the chat function on a Zoom call this month, and former NHL player Akim Aliu revealed his former coach Bill Peters used the N-word when speaking to him on at least one occasion.
“Especially after a lot of these incidents that came up especially with racism in hockey lately, it’s definitely been very disappointing,” Ward said. “It’s I guess you could say a switch-on for me a little bit more to try to help, basically, and try to help others who’ve been through it but also try to help the league to combat this a little bit better and a little bit more.”
Ward recently returned to Washington to do a ceremonial puck drop at the Capitals’ annual Black History Game. He’s also supported the NHL’s “Hockey Is for Everyone” diversity initiative.
“It’s (about) representation,” Ward said. “For me growing up in Toronto there wasn’t too many blacks that were playing in the National Hockey League to look up to … It’s just a game for everybody. I picked up a stick and fell in love with it. Why can’t the next kid?”
Ward finished his career with 133 goals, 171 assists and 557 hits. His best statistical year came with the Capitals in 2013-14, when he racked up 24 goals and 25 assists.
He is best remembered in Washington for scoring a series-clinching double-overtime goal in Game 7 of the first round of the 2012 playoffs against the Boston Bruins, which he called a moment he’ll never forget.
Some current Capitals who played alongside him wished him a happy retirement on social media and thanked him for his time in Washington.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.