Hurricanes’ Justin Williams announces he’s retiring
Justin Williams is ending a hockey career that had him raise the Stanley Cup three times and bring an NHL championship to the Carolina Hurricanes, that one day could land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Williams and the Hurricanes made the announcement on Thursday. Williams, who turned 39 on Sunday, was a member of the Hurricanes’ 2006 Stanley Cup championship and later was twice on Cup winners with the Los Angeles Kings. He earned the ultimate moniker — “Mr. Game 7” — for his ability to deliver in the biggest of games on the biggest stage in the sport.
Williams returned to the Hurricanes as a free agent in 2017 and was an integral part of the team returning to the playoffs in 2018-19. He was the team captain for Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour, determined to provide leadership, and did. He was determined to make the team relevant again in the NHL and he did.
What made Williams special?
“He is who he is. You see what you get and get what you see,” Brind’Amour said Thursday in an N&O interview. “For me it was just accountability, and coming every day and someone who does what he’s supposed to do. Whether a preseason game or a Stanley Cup playoff Game 7, Willy plays the same way.
“Not many players can say they left everything on the ice when they walk away, that they have nothing left to prove and nothing left in the tank. He’s had a great career.”
Williams also was determined to make it fun for Canes fans and did that as an originator of the postgame Storm Surge that became so popular after wins at PNC Arena. He was a leading member of the so-called “Bunch of Jerks” that memorable season.
“It’s his will to win,” Brind’Amour said in 2019. “He may not be the most talented. He certainly doesn’t skate the fastest or shoot the hardest. But there is that ‘it’ factor and he doesn’t want to be denied. You can’t teach it. You just have it.”
Williams considered retirement after the 2018-19 season, after losing to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals. Brind’Amour, his former teammate and close friend, as much as anyone wouldn’t let him. Williams decided to return in January as the Canes again reached the postseason in a season shortened and delayed by the pandemic. The Canes again were eliminated by the Bruins.
“I’ve never once taken for granted the privilege it is to be able to play a game for a living,” Williams said Thursday in his statement.
Some of his Canes teammates immediately took to social media to praise Williams.
Andrei Svechnikov tweeted: “Thank you for all you taught me, @justinwilliams. Congratulations on an amazing career.”
Tweeted forward Martin Necas: “What a player ... and even better person.”
Williams was named the Canes captain soon after Brind’Amour was promoted to head coach in 2018 — Brind’Amour saying it was the easiest decision he would make as coach.
It was Williams who clinched the Cup in 2006, scoring the empty netter late in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Edmonton Oilers. When the Canes returned to the playoffs in 2019, it was Williams who fought for the puck in Game 7 of the first-round series against the Washington Capitals, zipping it toward the net where it was batted in by Brock McGinn for a double-overtime victory.
Brind’Amour said Thursday that three moments in time will always be his lasting memories of WIlliams ‘ playing career. The first was in winning the Cup together in 2006. The second came after the double overtime win in Washington.
“My favorite photo is me shaking his hand on the ice, me in my suit and he’s in his jersey,” Brind’Amour said. “That brings back the memory of him coming in the locker room after Game 7 and just exhausted.”
The third was after Williams’ last game, in the Toronto bubble. It was emotional time for both, Brind’Amour said.
Williams, in his statement, thanked many who have helped him along the way including former Canes majority owner Pete Karmanos and former general manager Ron Francis. He also thanked current majority owner Tom Dundon and Brind’Amour for “their leadership and trust in me as a player to bring me back this past year for one more run.”
In the final tally, Williams 18 seasons and 1,264 career games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Hurricanes, Kings and Capitals. His Stanley Cup wins came in 2006, 2012 and 2014 and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP for the Kings in 2014.
Mister Game 7? Williams played in nine and was 8-1. He had seven goals and eight assists, and his 15 points are the most by an NHL player.
Williams also won gold medals for Canada in the 2004 and 2007 World Championships.
“Willy walks away having given all he could to the game and every organization he played for,” Brind’Amour said Thursday. “Great pro, teammate and person. I’m proud to call him a friend and grateful to have the opportunity to play with him and coach him.”
Williams, ending his statement, said: “My family has sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am, so I want to thank my mom and dad for being there for me every step of the way. My sister, Nikki, for being my biggest fan since day one. My wife, Kelly, and my kids Jaxon and Jade for embracing this journey with me. Life is so much better when you have people you love to share it with.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 4:16 PM.
