Photo: Sporting News
The Vegas Golden Knights announced on Wednesday that former Washington Capitals right-wing Joel Ward has been named an assistant coach on their NHL team. He served as an assistant on the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, Vegas’ minor league affiliate, for the past three seasons.
Ward served on Vegas’ coaching staff for one game during the 2020-21 shortened season when a coach tested positive for COVID-19 and the whole staff had to quarantine. He has been in Henderson since their inaugural campaign.
Ward announced his retirement in 2020 after 726 career regular-season games with Washington, the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, and San Jose Sharks. He recorded 57 goals, 121 points, and a +22 rating in 276 games with Washington from 2011-15.
We are thrilled to announce that Dominique Ducharme and Joel Ward have been named assistant coaches for the Golden Knights!!! 👏
Congratulations, Dominique and Joel! #VegasBorn
Full details ⬇️https://t.co/MILmieIHbj
— 🏆 – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 12, 2023
On June 8, 2020, Ward became an inaugural executive board member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, whose goal is to address intolerance and racism in hockey.
Vegas also hired former Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme, who led Montreal to a six-game victory over Vegas in the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals, as an assistant to join head coach Bruce Cassidy’s staff.
Vegas is scheduled to make their lone visit to Washington on Tuesday, November 14.
By Harrison Brown
Wonder if Caps interviewed him for assistant job?
Hockey Diversity Alliance. How diverse is the NHL? As of 13 Jul 2023, there are 17 active countries with players in the NHL. That sounds pretty diverse to me. Maybe MLS has as many, but I’m sure the NFL, MLB, and NBA don’t. And if you count the AHL and ECHL pro leagues, I’m sure there are more.
LMAO. Diversity does not refer to country but rather race. The NFL many years ago instituted the Rooney Rule where whenever a team interviewed for a HC or assistant coach position they had to interview at least one minority. From reports there has not been a significant change in the numbers of minorities hired over the years.
Marriam-Webster says ” the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : VARIETY; especially : the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, etc. in a group or organization”
NHL hits that mark on multiple cultures, much more than other US sports.
If we go with minorities, I would bet that Russians in the US would be a minority.
The term has been hijacked to mean a very small, specific set of conditions. If we’re going to use the term diversity, let’s admit that teams can be diverse in many ways. If that is not what is meant, change the term used. If we’re going to dictate that 50% of NHL players have to be black, call it the black quota rule.
One of the attractions of the NHL to me is the fact that it is so diverse. The Ovi-Backy-Willy line is a Russian, a Swede, and a Canadian playing in the US Capital being cheered on by Americans.
For the vast majority of people today, and I guess you are just SOL, diversity is a color thing not a nationality thing or a height thing. Sorry dude but invoking the dictionary does not help your cause at all. However you are more than free to believe what ever you like, no matter how deluded and misguided it is in todays world.
Joel Ward is the coach for the Henderson Silverknights Las Vegas AHL team. He served the team for 3 years. He doesn’t need to be interviewed. He is a staff for the Las Vegas AHL team. He is a canadian professional hockey player and also represent the canadian NHL hockey .
Congratulations Wardo!
Hi Joel,
Congratulations. I’m proud of your achievements. My regards to you and the family .
Uncle Ram & Verne.
Would have been a good addition to the Caps coaching staff. Wonder if there will be any old Caps who get offered and hired as coaches? Thinking of players like Orpik, Kolzig, maybe Oates to help the centers and with faceoffs, maybe Konowalchuk.
Does anyone know where Mike Green is and what he is doing? He put his DC home up for sale in 2019 and then pulled it off the market in 2020 when it didn’t sell. Does he still have it? He is one I thought would be back in the Caps organization after retirement.
Maybe as a scout or even a assistant Gm or some other front office position but don’t see him as a coach.