Veteran forward Joel Ward announces retirement after 11 NHL seasons

Former Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward announced his retirement from the NHL after 11 seasons with a piece for The Players' Tribune.

Ward last played for the San Jose Sharks and hasn't taken the ice since the 2017-18 season. Before spending time with the Sharks, Ward played for the Capitals, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild.

The 39-year-old said he tried to return to the ice over the past two seasons, but unfortunately it just wasn't in the cards.

"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."

Ward went undrafted but worked his way through the ECHL and AHL before making his NHL debut in 2006 with the Wild. He amassed 304 points (133 goals, 171 assists) in 726 games while adding 22 goals and 30 assists in 83 playoff games.

Ward was a huge playoff performer, and that's likely a huge reason why he stayed in the league for as long as he did.

Although he's now retired, it would be nice to see him take on some kind of coaching role, though he hasn't expressed any interest in that at the moment.