It was Saturday, two days after Joel Ward was named the new coach of the Henderson Silver Knights.
Sitting at home with his wife Kathleen and sons Bo and Robinson, they watched NHL Network air a profile on Ottawa Senators first-round pick Jaxon Cover from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.
Cover, 18, is a right wing who grew up in the Cayman Islands. He moved to Canada with his family at 12 years old and fell in love with hockey.
In six years, a young Black man from the Caribbean became a first-round pick in the NHL.
“My boys got a chance to watch that over and over,” Ward said, “and it was someone that looked like them.”
It was a proud moment for Ward, who grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, dealing with racism in the sport he loved. That continued numerous times during Ward’s 726-game career in the NHL.
Ward now has the opportunity to break barriers for people of color in the coaching ranks. The 45-year-old became the second Black coach in American Hockey League history Thursday when the Vegas Golden Knights selected him as Ryan Craig’s replacement in Henderson.
“For me, it’s important to be a good role model, which I try to take a lot of pride in for the kids growing up watching the game,” said Ward, who was introduced on Monday at City National Arena.
‘Representation is important’
“It’s a good step forward, especially for people of color to recognize that,” he said. “There’s people of all races and ethnicities playing in the game, and it’s just my job to continue to grow the game and have a good positive role model spin on it.”
Former Blackhawks captain Dirk Graham was the first Black head coach in NHL history when he coached Chicago in the 1998-99 season. He became the first such coach in the AHL in 2004 while directing the Springfield Falcons.
Ward played for four teams during his 11-year career. He always had it in the back of his mind that he would like to coach at some point.
“I just think it would be a shame to keep this information inside,” Ward said. “It’s an opportunity for me to deliver this information about hockey, the game that I’ve loved growing up as a kid.”
Ward retired in 2018 but remained involved, especially in trying to introduce the game of hockey to kids of different ethnicities that didn’t have the same access or privilege.
He was one of eight current and former players that founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance, created in June 2020 to “fostering inclusivity, combating discrimination and advancing diversity within the hockey community.”
Ward joined Henderson as an assistant in November 2020. He is still a member of the HDA and hopes to continue that work when he can, even in his new role.
“I carried that as a player. I’ve been around the game long enough,” Ward said. “Breaking those barriers are very important to me. I think representation is very important.”
Ward hasn’t had much time to breathe. Two weeks ago, he was running practice for the Golden Knights during their run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Suddenly, the mindset shifts. He goes from a team that was two wins from a championship — now coached by Craig — to running the successful AHL program that Craig left for him.
The next step
When Ward met with general manager Kelly McCrimmon after the season, he made it known he wanted to advance in his coaching journey. McCrimmon agreed.
“It’s where he felt his career needed to go next, and I really supported that,” he said. “I really agree that he’s going to do a great job as a head coach.”
McCrimmon wasn’t trying to blaze a trail with hiring Ward. He felt the same with Ward as he did with Craig, when Craig was named the Knights’ new coach on June 17.
It’s about hiring good people and providing them with resources to reach their ceiling.
“I don’t ever think about it, to be honest. It’s a meritocracy,” McCrimmon said. “These people are involved in our organization because they’re good at what they do, and they’re good people.
“I couldn’t have handled that better as far as what’s important to him. He’s a heck of a hockey coach. That’s why he’s here today.”
Ward would love to get himself and the Silver Knights out in the community more, especially when promoting the game to under-privileged youth or other kids of color. It’s still in the early stages, but he’s already considered what he wants to do in his new role.
One that may allow for more opportunities for people of color to strive for in hockey. The work that Ward put in as a player to combat racism isn’t done, even as the bench boss in Henderson.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” Ward said. “Just excited to get this process going.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
