Courtesy photo Neely Ward, with his parents Aran and Courtney Ward, became Nashua's first baby of 2021 when he was born just 32 minutes into the new year at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. (Courtesy photo)

NASHUA – Baby Neely Ward – yes, he’s named after the former Bruins star – won’t know it for awhile yet, but his arrival at 12:32 a.m. New Years Day makes him the first baby born in Greater Nashua, and quite possibly in New Hampshire, in 2021.

Neely’s parents, Aran and Courtney Ward, brought him into the world at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, and after a brief stay were discharged around midday Monday.

Aran Ward’s apparent love of hockey, which he played in college and now coaches, evidently prompted the couple to name their son after Cam Neely, the NHL Hall of Fame player whose career included a number of years with the Bruins.

Meanwhile, just 20 minutes after Neely’s birth, the baby that is almost certainly Greater Nashua’s second of 2021, was born at St. Joseph Hospital, according to a spokesman.

The names of the baby and parents weren’t immediately available Monday, but he or she was born at 12:52 a.m.

A full story, including arrival times of New Years Day babies at several hospitals and medical facilities in New Hampshire and New England, will appear in The Sunday Telegraph.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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