Who is Geoff Ward? Calgary Flames name Bill Peters' interim replacement

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In the wake of Bill Peters resignation following the accusations of racist comments and physical abuse, the Calgary Flames named associate coach Geoff Ward the interim head coach on Friday.

A longtime assistant coach in the NHL, Ward takes over a team that is not only dealing with the off-ice issues surrounding the now-former head coach, but one that has struggled to be consistent on the ice.

MORE: Bill Peters investigation: What to know, latest news

His story goes well beyond the rink. He was a high school and elementary teacher in Ontario. From the classroom to Calgary, here's what you need to know about the Flames' interim bench boss.

Where is Geoff Ward from?

A native of Waterloo, Ont., Ward actually started his coaching career at the University of Waterloo as an assistant coach under Don Mckee from 1989 to 1992. 

Did Geoff Ward play in the NHL?

No, Ward never made it onto an NHL roster. In fact, no records were found of Ward's playing days, suggesting there were none — or at least no organized activity.

Does Geoff Ward have NHL head-coaching experience?

No, Ward has never been the head man on an NHL bench. He has been an assistant for three teams spanning just over 11 seasons.

He has head coaching experience in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League), ECHL (East Coast Hockey league), AHL (American Hockey league) and DEL (Deutsche Eishockey Liga).

How long has Geoff Ward been coaching?

Ward began his coaching experience with Waterloo before becoming an assistant coach with the Niagara Falls Thunder of the Ontario Hockey League for the 1992-93 season. After six seasons in the OHL — five as a head coach, including four with the Kitchener Rangers — Ward hit the ECHL in the 1999-00 season with the Arkansas RiverBlades.

In 2001 he made his AHL head-coaching debut with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal and Edmonton's AHL affiliate. He won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for the AHL's coach of the year after the 2002-03 season with Hamilton.

Breaking onto the NHL scene as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins in 2007-08, Ward spent his first seven NHL seasons with the B's where he won the Stanley Cup in 2011. He would then travel down to New Jersey and serve on the Devils' bench for three seasons before leaving for his most recent role as associate coach of the Flames ahead of the 2018-19 season. His promotion comes just over one season into his Calgary tenure, giving him his first gig as an NHL head coach.

What changes might Geoff Ward make to the Calgary Flames' system?

Ward said in his first press conference as the team's interim coach that he just wants his players "just feeling good about being at the rink and feeling good about preparing to play hockey" in the wake of an unusual situation.

"If we can keep it as normal as possible, then as time goes on, everything looks after itself," he said via NHL.com. "For us, tomorrow is about coming to the rink preparing to play a hockey game, trying to make it as simple and as seamless as possible for the players."

"I can say I've never been in this circumstance taking over a team, but the reasoning doesn't matter," he added. "What's important is what you do once the moment happens and you need to step in. You need to make sure the team is prepared. In that regard, it's the same. But in the other regard, it's different."

Notable players Geoff Ward coached in his career

Before his time on NHL benches, Ward had the opportunity to coach some prominent NHLers during his tenures with Niagara, Kitchener, Guelph and Hamilton/Toronto/Edmonton.

Here are the players coached under Ward's direction:

(Niagara) Ethan Moreau, Manny Legace; (Kitchener) Boyd Devereaux; (Guelph) Brian McGrattan, Craig Anderson; (Hamilton/Toronto/Edmonton) Jason Chimera, Fernando Pisani, Sven Butenschoen, Alexei Semenov, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Louie DeBrusk, Shawn Horcoff, Ty Conklin, Jason Ward, Michael Ryder, Jarret Stoll, Tomas Plekanec, Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Mariusz Czerkawski, Bill Lindsay, Ron Hainsey, Francis Bouillon, Donald Audette, Raffi Torres, Marty Reasoner, Mike Ribeiro, Mathieu Garon, Chris Higgins, Karl Dykhuis, Chad Kilger, Brad Winchester, Kyle Brodziak, Toby Petersen and Igor Ulanov.

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