What is Keith Ballard?
{{Infobox ice hockey player | team = | played_for = [[Minnesota Wild]]<br>[[Phoenix Coyotes]]<br>[[Florida Panthers]]<br>[[Vancouver Canucks]] | league = [[National Hockey League|NHL]] | image =Keith Ballard 03-2011.jpg | image_size = 200px | position = [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|Defense]] | shoots = Left | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 208 | ntl_team = USA | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|11|26}} | birth_place = [[Baudette, Minnesota|Baudette]], [[Minnesota|MN]], [[United States|USA]] | draft = 11th overall | draft_year = 2002 | draft_team = [[Buffalo Sabres]] | career_start = 2004 | career_end = 2015 |}} '''Keith Ballard''' (born November 26, 1982 in [[Baudette, Minnesota|Baudette]], [[Minnesota]]) is a former [[Americans|American]] [[National Hockey League|NHL]] [[ice hockey]] defenceman for the [[Minnesota Wild]]. He was picked by the [[Buffalo Sabres]] with the eleventh overall pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He played hockey in college for the [[University of Minnesota]]'s Golden Gophers. Ballard has also played for the [[Phoenix Coyotes]] for 3 seasons and the [[Florida Panthers]] for 2 seasons before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2010 during the 2010 NHL Entry draft for [[Michael Grabner]], [[Steve Bernier]], and Vancouver's first round pick and 25th overall selection in that draft. On July 3, 2013, he was placed on waivers and his contract was bought out by the Canucks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2013/07/03/sp-nhl-hockey-waivers-vancouver-canucks-keith-ballard-sergei-kostitsyn.html|accessdate=2013-07-05|title=Canucks' Keith Ballard placed on waivers: NHL moves|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}</ref> On July 4th, 2013, Ballard signed a two-year $3 million contract with the [[Minnesota Wild]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=676586|accessdate=2013-07-05|title=Wild agree to terms with defenseman Ballard|publisher=NHL.com}}</ref> Ballard is married and had a daughter with his wife in May 2010. ==Ref