ECHL's Ward Resigns

Published on May 6, 2002 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release

PRINCETON, N.J. ­- The East Coast Hockey League announced on Monday that Troy G. Ward has resigned as Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations to become an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. Ward will remain with the ECHL through the Kelly Cup Finals.

"The opportunity to return to coaching is exciting, and personally it allows me to move closer to my sons which is extremely important to me," said Ward. "I enjoyed my time with the ECHL and feel that I gained experience that will be beneficial in the future."

"On behalf of the ECHL, we congratulate Troy on his new position and thank him for his service," said ECHL President/CEO Richard W. Adams. "Troy has been a valuable asset to the ECHL and we wish him well in his new role."

Ward has 17 years of coaching experience at all levels of hockey, including two and a half seasons as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League, and one season with the Trenton Titans where he was named ECHL Coach of the Year in 2000-01. A native of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, Ward began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. Following three seasons in which he built Wisconsin ­ Eau Claire into a successful program, the 39-year-old Ward was an assistant at the University of Denver for three years before being named general manager and head coach of Dubuque in the United States Hockey League.

Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in three states, the ECHL has grown to become the largest developmental league in professional hockey with 29 teams in 14 states. There have been 191 ECHL players that have gone on to play in the NHL, including 82 during the 2001-02 season, and 25 of the 30 teams in the NHL have affiliations with teams in the ECHL.

ECHL Stories from May 6, 2002

• Condors in the Community - Bakersfield Condors
• Falcons Knock Off Defending Champs - Fresno Falcons
• ECHL's Ward Resigns - ECHL
• Bombers Tickets on Sale for Game Three - Dayton Bombers
• Stingrays to Announce Third Head Coach Tomorrow - South Carolina Stingrays

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