Joel Ward (born December 2, 1980 in North York, Ontario) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger that currently plays for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Minnesota Wild for one season and the Nashville Predators for three seasons before signing a four-year contract worth $12 million with the Washington Capitals on July 1, 2011. He is African American and is one of a small number of black hockey players in the league.