Captains of the Carolina Hurricanes: A Retrospective

Justin Williams

Talk about a player who captured the hearts of the fans.  From the moment he returned to the Carolina Hurricanes, Justin Williams made it clear what led to his decision: He wanted to return the excitement around the team that he had seen.  Not satisfied with missing the playoffs for a tenth consecutive year, Williams was named captain for the 2018-19 season.

All he did after was build engagement and get his teammates to buy into what lies at the base of the game: having fun.

The Storm Surge became a fixture following victories by the Hurricanes on their home ice.  Fans waited to see what the team would do, Don Cherry ranted, and The Surge won ‘Best Celebration’ at the NHL Fan Choice Awards.

Above all else, Justin Williams succeeded.  No, the Hurricanes did not win the Stanley Cup, but fan engagement was reinvigorated and, for the first time since 2009, the Hurricanes returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The captain did his part to get them there, posting 53 points, his highest total since the 2011-12 season.

Williams added seven points in the playoffs, setting up Brock McGinn’s overtime winner in Game 7 against the Washington Capitals and scoring the game-winner in Game 3 against the New York Islanders.

Now, Hurricanes fans wait and wonder whether Williams will return and take another shot at bringing Lord Stanley’s Cup back to Raleigh.  I, for one, hope to see the captain back in the sightless eye for at least one more season.

Memorable moment: Despite the fact that Williams only served one season as captain (so far), there are a lot of choices here.  Me, being sentimental, decided on the exhausted joy that we saw as Williams played to the PNC crowd after eliminating the New York Islanders

Is it October yet?