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.

The drama started with this tweet from the team hotel, hours before a Caps road game in Dallas:

“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:

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:

Plain proof that Twitter is the perfect restroom companion.

Image: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images