The pursuit of a dream can take a person a circuitous route to its fulfillment.
Joel Ward, a 30-year-old Bajan-Canadian, can write chapter and verse about the highs and the lows a professional sportsman must experience before he or she can reach the proverbial mountain top.
Ward is the son of the late Randall Ward, an auto mechanic who came to Ontario from Barbados and had dreams of his three sons one day playing in the National Hockey League (NHL). What a pity then that Joel’s father didn’t live long enough to see his offspring on the ice for the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
But if his father’s death when Joel was a teenager was a low point, then the resilience of his mother, Cecilia Ward, a registered nurse, gave him a long term mental lift as he marvels at her commitment to the family, playing the role of mother and father, working two jobs to put food on the table and a roof over her family’s head. Randall Ward died less than a week after suffering a stroke in 1994 while watching Joel play a junior hockey league game.
Today, Joel is an established NHL player and is the latest in a string of professionals with Barbadian roots who are either on the ice or played at the highest level. They range from Anson Carter, Kevin Weekes and Peter Worrell to Fred Brathwaite, all of whom have played at different times for several NHL teams.
Joel, who was born in North York Ontario, plays on the Predators right-wing and is a constant presence on the ice in American and Canadian cities.
His journey to the top ranks of professional hockey began like most youngsters, playing with his brothers, neighbours or schoolmates. In those early days, his father watched him play street hockey with his two older siblings on Toronto’s east side. He moved on to the Ontario Hockey League but when NHL teams didn’t draft him, he decided to go to the University of Prince Edward Island where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
The Bajan then made a crucial decision – he opted for professional roller hockey – and his savvy caught the eye of scouts. It landed him a try-out with the American Hockey League. That in turn led to a contract with the Minnesota Wild but it lasted for 11 games before he was waived. The setback opened the door to an opportunity with the Nashville Predators where he has been for the past five years.
Interestingly, Ward is doing something off the ice which is warming the hearts of Canadian and American fans. He is giving back to the community by serving as a mentor, aiding youngsters in much the same way he was helped along the way.
Weekes, who like Joel is highly regarded in North America for his work with young people, has nothing but praise for a fellow Barbadian-Canadian.“It’s really a special story,” he said of Ward. “It’s a testament to Joel and not making excuses. We were together during the 2010 Winter Olympics break. Even then he was extremely thankful and appreciative of his situation. That’s the kind of guy he is.”
Apart from his humility and expressions of gratitude, an important part of Ward’s story is the help he received from the parents of the youngsters with whom he played in the minor league after his father died when he was 14. Some of them would buy him hockey gear or take him to and from practice and games when his mother was too busy working.
“A lot of different parents helped me along the way. I would like to thank everyone who did that. It keeps you grounded. I don’t take anything for granted. I can’t,” Joel said.
