Caroline Hurricanes forward Justin Williams has announced that he is retiring from the NHL after playing 19 seasons.
Williams helped lead the Hurricanes to the franchise’s only Stanley Cup victory in 2006. He also won two more Stanley Cups playing for the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. He won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2014, being named the best player to participate in the playoffs that year.
Williams was drafted 28th overall in the 2000 draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He was traded to Carolina in 2004. During the Hurricane’s championship season in 2006, Williams had a career-high 76 points.
After his stint with the Kings, Williams played two seasons with the Washington Capitals. The team won Presidents’ Trophies in both of those seasons as the team that finished the regular season with the most points.
Williams then returned to Carolina for another two seasons. After taking a year off, the 39-year-old resigned with the ‘Canes for the 2019-2020 season to finish out his career. He retires with 796 career points (320 goals and 477 assists).
