Twitter has all sorts of uses for sports stars: engaging with fans, promoting charitable efforts and even talking trash, just to name a few. But now we can add a new one to the list, thanks to Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward.
Ward used Twitter to help escape from a locked bathroom stall on Saturday morning.
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The drama started with this tweet from the team hotel, hours before a Caps road game in Dallas:
Stuck in the washroom...someone help? #Dallasproblems #OmniHotel #Validexcuse pic.twitter.com/1g7nlNy73C
— Joel Ward (@JRandalWard42) October 5, 2013
“I tried to come out and I flipped the switch a little bit, but it wasn’t really coming undone,” Ward told The Washington Post. “I’m in panic mode because I realized the door wasn’t going to open on me. I texted Karl [Alzner] to see if he was still around.”
The door wouldn't open from the outside, either. This delighted Ward's teammates, including star Alex Ovechkin:
@JRandalWard42 hahaha c'mon maaan !!!!hahahahahah
— Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) October 5, 2013
Making matters worse, Ward the door in his bathroom stall extended all the way to the ground — so he couldn't even wriggle under. The Post reported that nearly 45 minutes after Ward's fiasco began, hotel staff was able to free him from his temporary prison using a ladder (and some professional help) as Ward clambered over the door.
Of course, Caps teammate John Carlson documented the daring rescue:
#operationsavewardo pic.twitter.com/yqZMyc1aBL
— John Carlson (@JohnCarlson74) October 5, 2013
We got him!!!! pic.twitter.com/xaoGAQybMF
— John Carlson (@JohnCarlson74) October 5, 2013
Plain proof that Twitter is the perfect restroom companion.
Image: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images