Takeaways from Justin Williams Final Canes Corner

This past Thursday evening at Backyard Bistro, Justin Williams took the stage for what is likely to be his final Canes Corner.

We all know and love Canes Corner. The live radio broadcast at Backyard Bistro where Mike Maniscalco interviews a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. This past Thursday, January 13th, Carolina Hurricanes legend Justin Williams took the stage for what will likely be his final appearance on Canes Corner.

The broadcast started on a lighthearted note as Williams came in, joined by his daughter Jade. As they sat down, Justin said that they had just left her hockey practice. Jade piped in saying that she was better than her old man. He went on to discuss how he feels he’s preformed over his first few games back. Williams said that he wants to be more productive during regulation, rather than just scoring in shootouts.

Of course a topic of discussion was what, he did during his break. Williams said that he would make breakfast for his family and play golf. He was a big fan of the team and enjoyed cheering the guys on. And would give them advice whenever he saw fit.

He also coached his kids’ hockey teams. When asked if she liked him coaching her team, Jade gave her seal of approval. He said that the thing that pushed him to come back was his family. Family was a recurring theme throughout the broadcast.

Justin said that even though the team is in a very tough division, “division of death” as on fan yelled out,  that they will make the playoffs. He enjoys the sense of camaraderie between all of the players and that he missed that while he was gone. It was easy for him to mesh with the new additions that were made to the team while he was out as well.

Later, Justin Williams discussed his hockey camp that he puts on in his hometown. He said that it’s nice to give back to his hometown and help grow the hockey community as a whole.

He then went on to discuss some moments throughout his hockey career. Maniscalco brought up this video from when Williams was 17 years old and thanked his wife and kids. Williams obviously didn’t have either of those then. He said that he did it simply because his teammates said he wouldn’t do it. Much respect Justin.

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He then talked about being traded. He said that both times he was traded, Philly to Carolina and Carolina to LA, turned out to be blessings. Both teams he was traded to wanted him and helped him grow as a player. He said that a team that wants  you will help you be a good player.

He said that there isn’t a whole lot of difference between Raleigh and Los Angeles. Traffic is worse obviously. But, he never really got recognized or anything, seeing as LA is more of a celebrity and Lakers town.

He said that he finds the people in the Raleigh area very friendly. Saying how at the grocery store you can spend five minutes talking to someone about the potato chips you’re buying. And that he’s happy that this is the place that he and his wife decided to raise their family.

Then it came time for the twitter questions. And to my surprise, my question was one that Mike Maniscalco picked. I asked if there were any memories Williams had of the late Kobe Bryant from his time spent in LA. Williams said that the one memory he has was when he asked Kobe to sign a jersey for him since the Kings and Lakers shared practice facilities.

He went on to say that he could see himself in a front office or coaching role after he hangs up his skates. He also still talks to some of the guys from his days with the Philadelphia Flyers. Rick Tocchet, now the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes, being one in particular.

Someone asked him why he watches the opposing goaltender during warm ups and he said it’s to see if there is any way he can gain an edge over him and that the tiny details of the game are very important.

As previously mentioned, family was an overarching theme throughout for Williams. This is something that I picked up on, my girlfriend did, as did Redvolution Rampage podcast co-host Jeff Dwyer. I’m sure everyone else did as well. His family is very important to him. His drive to succeed was also very evident. Whether it’s through winning or losing he wants to learn from it. His friendships that he’s made throughout the years also seemed to be very important to everyone in the crowd.

Quick side note, during the autograph portion of the event, I got my 2006 Stanley Cup champions sign autographed. I’ve had that thing since I was 9 years old y’all.

I definitely got the vibe from Williams that when the final horn goes off for the Hurricanes this season, that will be it for him. It will be a sad day to see him hang up the skates. But until then let’s just enjoy the ride.

Question for CC readers: What are some of your favorite Justin Williams memories?