Ward, 42, spent parts of 11 seasons in the National Hockey League playing with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks, amassing 304 points (133 goals, 171 assists), 261 penalty minutes and was a minus-two.
The North York, Ontario native signed a PTO with the Montreal Canadiens in September 2018, but less than two weeks later, he was released and became an unrestricted free agent. Ward didn't play during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons and officially retired from professional hockey in April 2020.
Seven months later, Ward was hired to become an assistant coach with the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of Vegas. In his first two seasons behind the bench with the Silver Knights, they reached the Calder Cup Playoffs.
