Will Joel Ward become the NHL’s second Black head coach? His peers have ‘no doubt’

Joel Ward, a former NHL winger who scored 133 goals and 304 points over 11 seasons, has been named head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights' AHL affiliate, positioning him as a candidate to become the NHL's second-ever Black head coach. The NHL has had only one Black head coach in its 109-year history — Dirk Graham, who coached the Chicago Blackhawks for just 59 games in 1998-99, going 16-35-8 before being fired. Ward has expressed that more Black coaches should have broken through before him, and his peers are confident he has what it takes to reach the NHL level.