Home / News / Justin Williams announces he will take a break from NHL: ‘I’ve decided to step away from the game’

Justin Williams announces he will take a break from NHL: ‘I’ve decided to step away from the game’

By Ian Oland

 6 Comments

September 2, 2019 1:12 pm

After months of consideration and deliberation, former Capitals forward Justin Williams announced through the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday that he is not prepared at this moment to continue his career.

“This is the first time in my life that I’ve felt unsure of my aspirations with regards to hockey,” Williams said in a release. “For as long as I can remember, my whole off-season until this point has been hockey and doing what was necessary to prepare for the upcoming season. Because of my current indecision, and without the type of mental and physical commitment that I’m accustomed to having, I’ve decided to step away from the game.”

“It’s important to me that the focus of attention is on the current, very talented group the Carolina Hurricanes have assembled, as they prepare to build on the momentum and growth we established last season,” added Williams.

Williams does not declare he is retiring in the carefully-worded statement, which gives him wiggle room to come back later in the year if he finds his passion for hockey again. The Hurricanes worded it as “a break” in its tweet announcing the news.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie was the first to report the news in a tweet thread and had this to say.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion is 37, but coming off one of his best seasons pro, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Final and scoring the fourth-most goals of his career (23) during the regular season. Through Williams’ captaincy, he also introduced the Storm Surge, a postgame team celebration that helped bring excitement to the team and the ire of others.

In recent weeks, general manager Don Waddell has asked Williams to make a decision before training camp so the team could move forward.

“We appreciate Justin’s honesty and openness throughout this process, and respect his decision,” Waddell said. “He’s been an important part of our team, but we did prepare our roster with the understanding that he might step away. We are confident in the group we’ve assembled.”

During his time in Washington, Williams was beloved by his teammates, scoring 46 goals and tallying 100 points in two seasons in DC. Williams has two children with his wife Kelly: Jade and his son Jaxon. Jaxon plays hockey and Williams has been a regular at his practices and games when his schedule allows.

More from the Hurricanes:

RALEIGH, NC – Carolina Hurricanes forward Justin Williams today announced that he will step away from the National Hockey League ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Williams, 37, has recorded 786 points (312g, 474a) in 1,244 career NHL games with the Hurricanes, Flyers, Kings and Capitals. He is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, winning titles with Carolina in 2006 and Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014 and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2014. Williams has tallied 305 points (120g, 185a) in 429 career games with the Hurricanes, ranking seventh in team history (since relocation) in goals and assists and eighth in points. He is one of nine players in NHL history to score 100 goals and win the Stanley Cup with two different franchises.

The 6’1″, 184-pound forward was named the 16th captain in franchise history on Sept. 13, 2018. During the 2018-19 regular season, he posted 53 points (23g, 30a) to help guide the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2009. In the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Williams recorded seven points (4g, 3a) in 15 games as the Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference Final. During the 2018-19 regular season, Williams posted his highest single-season point total since 2011-12 and scored 20 goals for the seventh time in his career. He was the oldest player in the NHL to score 20 goals and record 50 points this season, and he was the oldest NHL forward to average at least 17:00 of ice time in 2018-19. Williams became the third player in franchise history to score 20 goals in a season after turning 37, joining Ron Francis (three times) and Ray Whitney. Since turning 30 on Oct. 14, 2011, Williams has played in 619 of 622 possible regular season games.

Williams was selected by his teammates as the winner of the 2018-19 Steve Chiasson Award, presented annually to the Hurricanes player that best exemplifies determination and dedication while proving to be an inspiration to his teammates through his performance and approach to the game. Williams was also chosen by the Carolina chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) as the winner of the 2018-19 Josef Vasicek Award for his cooperation with local media.

Headline photo: Carolina Hurricanes