Williams announces retirement from NHL

Justin Williams Retirement was announced from the NHL on Thursday.

“Since I first entered the league one day after my 19th birthday in 2000, this game has brought me so much that I can not pay it back,” Williams said in a statement. “Countless experiences, relationships, lessons and hardships will always be with me as I move on to the next stage in my life. I never took the exclusive right to play a game to live, and that’s why I was able to play it professionally as long as I was.”

The 38-year-old forward, who captained the Hurricanes in 2018-19, scored 797 points (320 goals, 477 assists) in 1,264 games over 19 NHL seasons with the Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers. He retired in the first half of the season before returning to a one-year deal he signed with Carolina on Jan. 7. He made his season debut on January 19 and scored 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 20 games and one goal in seven post-season games.

“I think about my future so often, I don’t really think I need a break to think about it,” Williams said. Told the NHL RTheRink podcastApril 15. “But because the next few months of everyone’s life are so uncertain, I really did not sit back and think about the bad things.

Williams, who was selected by Philadelphia in the first round of the 2000 NHL Draft (No. 28), scored 102 points (41 goals, 61 assists) in 162 Stanley Cup playoff games, the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006 and the Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs in 2014 The year he won the Con Smith Trophy.

Williams is one of only nine players in NHL history to score 100 goals and win the Stanley Cup with two teams. He scored 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in nine games, the highest by any player in NHL history, and his teams were 8-1 in those games. He was nicknamed “Mr. Game 7”.

“My family has sacrificed so much to be where I am, so I want to thank Mom and Dad for being there for me every step of the way,” Williams said. “My sister Nikki has been my biggest fan since Day One. My wife Kelly and my kids Jackson and Jade have taken this trip with me. Life is great when you have people you like.

“I want to thank everyone who retired from Pro Hockey.”