Joel Ward announces retirement after 11 NHL seasons

Joel Ward, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, officially announced his retirement on Monday with a post for The Players' Tribune.

Ward hasn't played since the 2017-18 campaign when he suited up for the San Jose Sharks. Overall, he spent three seasons with San Jose, four with the Washington Capitals, three with the Nashville Predators, and one with the Minnesota Wild.

"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," Ward wrote. "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."

The 39-year-old wasn't selected in the 1999 draft, but he later signed a contract with the ECHL's Florida Everblades in 2005 and eventually worked his way through the AHL to the NHL.

"I just wanted a chance, a shot. I didn't have, relatively, a whole lot of skills," Ward wrote. "I wasn't a smooth skater. I wasn't a fighter or a grinder really. I was just me, Joel. What I did have, though, was some hockey IQ because I watched so much hockey growing up."

Ward would go on to amass 133 goals and 171 assists during his career. He also appeared in 83 playoff games, racking up an impressive 22 goals and 30 assists in those contests.

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