Much has been made of the long wait San Jose’s Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton had to endure to play in their first Stanley Cup final. Both are 36 and nearing the end of their 19th NHL season.
Joel Ward isn’t far behind, though his route to the NHL and a Stanley Cup final was much more circuitous.
Ward, 35, is in only his ninth NHL season after 10 years in the minor leagues and Canadian college hockey. Ward played four years in the Ontario Hockey League before taking the unusual step to play at the University of Prince Edward Island.