Ward stands but takes stance
Veteran, one of nearly 30 blacks in NHL, will fight for equality, justice
Joel Ward stood with his teammates during the national anthemprior to the Sharks 3- 0 loss to the AnaheimDucks at the Honda Center on Thursday, following through on a pledge he made earlier in the day.
The veteran forward, who is one of roughly 30 black players in the NHL, indicated that he won’t be joining the social protest sweeping across the NFL by kneeling during the national anthem because he believes, “the original message that was trying to be communicated has been lost.”
Although he stood for the anthem, Ward isn’t giving up on the goal to bring awareness to issues of racial inequality and police brutality. Ward said that progress can be made in a variety of different ways.
“And that’s where I want everyone to refocus their attention — on moving progress forward,” Ward said via Twitter. “We need to be working on bridging the gap between people of all color, and between law enforcement andminorities.”
“How can we be part of the solutionandnot part of the problem — or be another distraction from what the real issues are?”
Despite his decision, Ward expressed his continued support for the protest in the NFL, started by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, that was reignited last weekend after President Donald Trump said that any professional football player who kneels
during the national anthem should be fired.
“I hold an immense amount of respect for the many players — across the sporting world — that have chosen to peacefully bring attention to a couple of big issues in today’s society,” Ward said in his statement.
“Make no mistake that racism exists and that people of color are treated differently on a day- to- day basis.”
The 36- year- old forward is hoping that the conversation about racial inequality and police brutality can extend beyond the playing field now that awareness is being raised.
“Let our collective attention be on bridging the gap between communities — on working to heal generations of unequal treatment of people of color in the United States of America — and not turning our backs on that which is hard to face head on,” he said.
Head coach Pete DeBoer expressed support for Ward’s decision following the Sharks morning practice.“He’s an intelligent, thoughtful, insightful guy and has put a lot of thought into this,” the Sharks coach said. “Whatever he decides, and how he wants to handle it, we’re going to support him because we know the reasons behind it.”
Ward, a Canadian player who’s the son of Barbadian immigrants, told this newspaper Tuesday that he was considering sharing his first-hand experiences with racism in the game and away from the rink.
“I’ve dealt with it a lot,” Ward said. “I’ve had a few things that have happened to me that you could say are not the norm. I’ve been pulled over. I’ve dealt with racism right to my face.
“It’s about creating awareness about what people, like myself, go through on a day-to- day basis.”
• Joe Thornton said there’s no doubt that he will suit up for the Sharks season opener at the SAP Center next Wednesday, and he’s still hopeful that he will skate in one of the Sharks final preseason games this weekend. Thornton underwent surgery to repair the ACL and MCL in his left knee.
• Martin Jones got the start in goal for the Sharks on Thursday.
• Defenseman Tim Heed got the puck stripped from him as he was trying to take it out from behind his own net on the Ducks first goal.
Heed has been battling AHL Barracuda defensive partner Joakim Ryan for the Sharks seventh defenseman spot, though Ryan got turned around as the Ducks notched their second goal on a 2- on-1 play.
“He’s had a decent camp,” the Sharks coach said. “Tonight wasn’t his best night.”