Ward retires from NHL after 11 seasons

Joel Ward announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday.

"I loved it," said the 39-year-old forward, who played his last game in 2017-18 with the San Jose Sharks. "The game treated me so well, and I'm at peace with everything. I got to play a few hockey games, which was great, more than I could even imagine I'd be playing. It feels great to have it out there and everybody knows."

Ward made it known he wants to remain involved in hockey in some capacity, saying he's interested in coaching or becoming an ambassador to help the game address issues surrounding diversity and inclusion.

He said he's spoken with Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and that the two have agreed to keep in touch. He also said he has had some discussions with the Sharks about a position, but things have been on hold since the NHL paused its season March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

"I've had some talks with the Sharks kind of briefly, going back and forth a few times," said Ward, who lives in San Jose. "We've chatted about some different areas. I've kind of shared that I'd like to hopefully get on the ice at some point with them, if it can work out. It's been on and off chats with the Sharks. If things did work out, yeah, it would be great to stay here. We've got to wait and see what's going to happen after [the season pause]."

Ward never was drafted and signed Dec. 4, 2005, with Houston of the American Hockey League, then the Minnesota Wild's affiliate, after four seasons with the University of Prince Edward Island. He signed with the Wild on Sept. 27, 2006, and in 11 NHL seasons, he scored 304 points (133 goals, 171 assists) in 726 games with the Wild, Nashville Predators, Capitals and the Sharks. He scored 20 goals twice in his NHL career (24 with the Capitals in 2013-14, 21 with the Sharks in 2015-16).

He also earned a reputation as a clutch performer during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 85 games. That included a series-winning overtime goal for the Capitals against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

"I remember (Bruins forward) Benoit Pouliot went to go dump [the puck] in our zone, and we were all going to go for a change," Ward told NHL.com in February. "(Linemate) Mike Knuble blocked it. When I saw that, it went from 'Eh, end of a shift,' to 'Oh, shoot, here we go,' heading down the ice on a 2-on-1."

Ward also had 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 24 games to help the Sharks reach the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

"Obviously, going through this brings back good memories of when I was playing, the time I had," he said Monday. "Now I'm at peace hanging out here with my family."

Ward said he was grateful to have the opportunity to play alongside great players like Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, Sharks forward Joe Thornton and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber , his teammate with the Predators from 2008-11.

"It's kind of so surreal to me," he said. "I was just hoping to get a chance to be out there at some point. When you're on the ice at the same time with these guys and to be teammates and friends with them, I never thought about that growing up."

Ward, who wore No. 42 to honor baseball great Jackie Robinson, had a professional tryout with the Canadiens in September 2018 but was cut.

After being unable to attract interest from NHL teams for two years, Ward told family and friends that he essentially was retired, albeit reluctantly.

"I kind of hemmed and hawed for a while," he said. "I tried there a while back and things didn't go well. Me, I was OK being at home knowing that I was pretty much done, but finally just to get it out in the open and let people know that officially today, I'm done."

The official announcement was meant to let people know he's looking for work in the game now that his playing days are done. He'd like to share the knowledge he gained during his career with the next generation.

"I've had such great teachers, coaches, I think I've learned so much over the years that it would be a shame to keep it to myself," he said. "I've gone through a lot of teams with different philosophies and everything. I played in all different aspects of the game. I've been fortunate to play on some top lines a couple of times and on the bottom. I've been fortunate to be around a lot of great hockey people."

Ward also expressed an interest in working to grow hockey in communities of color and help combat racist attitudes within the game.

He said he knows the pain and joy of being a minority player. He said he'll never forget the racist backlash he endured on social media after he scored the overtime goal in Boston in 2012.

Ward said one of his greatest thrills playing for the Capitals was working with Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, a minority-oriented youth hockey program founded and coached by Neal Henderson.

Henderson was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in December, becoming its first black member.

"I definitely want to be more prevalent, especially in the communities, for sure, in whatever aspect that I do to kind of reach out but I also want to maybe give the League a helping hand with this problem," Ward said.