Forward Joel Ward has decided to officially hang up his skates on the wall. Ward recently penned a letter on The Player’s Tribune in which he announced that he is now retired from NHL.
Ward last played in 2017/18 season, when he made 52 appearances for San Jose Sharks. After several failed tryouts, he decided to spend some time away from the game but never officially retired. Until now, that is.
“I’m retiring today,” Ward wrote. “I know I didn’t play the last two years, but I tried. I did. I wish I could have gone out in a bit of a different way. “
According to Ward, the silent ending to his NHL career is fitting since he had a quiet entry in the league as well.
“Hockey is a beautiful game, and it works in mysterious ways,” – he added. “Some players, they end on a perfect high, some have it taken from them. But me, I kind of thought it was fitting that I went out the way I came in — without anybody really noticing.”
Joel Ward made his NHL debut in 2006/07 with Minnesota Wild, who signed him as an undrafted free agent. Ward played only 11 games with the Wild, before embarking on stints with Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and Sharks.
Ward played 726 games in NHL altogether, contributing with 133 goals and 171 assists for a total of 304 points. He was also a member of Canada’s national team, helping the country to 5th place at 2014’s Ice Hockey World Championships.
