"I'm ready."
It's been almost eight months since Justin Williams sat in quiet respite in his locker stall after Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. His kids, Jaxon and Jade, hugged him and offered him matching red and white beaded necklaces, which he wore around his neck once he rose to speak to the media after his team bowed out of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He sighed. He was visibly drained, and his emotions were raw and honest.
"The tank has been low for a long time. We've just been running on adrenaline and just sheer will. It's always tough to swallow when the season ends abruptly like that,"
he said
. "We've got to go home. I just told my kids I was planning on going to Boston tomorrow, but I'll be home tomorrow after school. Life goes on."
Life did go on, for both him and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Justin Williams Returns to Canes Ready to Compete
'My adrenaline just gets more and more upbeat every day'