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Joel Ward Not Letting ‘Shocking’ Racist Tweets Ruin Team’s Victory Over Bruins

Joel Ward isn't worried about the few Internet commenters who chose to focus on his race and not his goal after after he scored in overtime to beat the Bruins. He's got better things to do, like try to win the Stanley Cup.

"It doesn't faze me at all," Ward said regarding the many racist tweets discovered in the aftermath of his overtime goal in Game 7 to lead the Capitals over the Bruins. "We won, and we are moving on. … People are going to say what they want to say."

Ward told the USA Today that he heard about the tweets from teammate Jeff Halpern during the team's plane ride back to Washington, and they were "shocking to see" but he didn't let them ruin his day. (You can see some of the tweets in question here, but be warned there is strong language therein.)

The Capitals winger mentioned that he had never experienced racism at the NHL level previously, but had heard some things in his younger days. He also says he plans to go out of his way and thank those who have stood up for him.

"I'm definitely getting a lot of support," Ward said. "There have been a lot of Boston fans who have supported me, which is very cool to see. No hard feelings from me. This is a game."