Ward will play tonight without protection: Thinks ruling is "a joke"

Aaron Ward will play tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. That is not the surprise. The surprise is that Ward will play without facial protection.

Ward said, "I haven't worn one in 16 years," Ward said. "I'm not going to start now."

Here is the rest of what Ward had to say about the incident.

"It's a joke. It's honestly a joke," Ward said of the situation. "I don't remember a single word being said," Ward said of the exchange between he and Walker. "I was looking at Matt Cullen. The moment I saw his right hand was when it was about a foot away from my face."

Ward also said that no bones in his face are broken or fracturd, but they were disturbed.