Golden Knights hire 11-year NHL veteran as an assistant coach

PUBLICATION

Cooper Godin
July 13, 2023 (8:26)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Vegas Golden Knights announced on Wednesday the hiring of two assistant coaches - former Montreal Canadiens bench boss Dominique Ducharme and long-time NHL forward Joel Ward.

"We are extremely pleased with the additions of Dominique and Joel to our coaching staff here in Vegas," said Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon. "Dominique brings a wealth of coaching experience into our organization and has proven to be a successful leader at multiple levels. Joel has excelled in Henderson during the first three years of his promising career as a coach and we're excited for him to be taking his next step with us."

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.