A Thank You and Possible Farewell to Some Los Angeles Kings Heroes

Justin Williams

It’s crazy to think how it just seemed like yesterday that “Mr. Game 7,” “Mr. Clutch” or simply the one we fondly know as “Stick” was named the 2014 Conn Smythe trophy winner as Playoff MVP and here we are now hoping that he re-signs with the team but may now be in the process of losing him entirely.

In March of 2009, Lombardi traded Patrick O’Sullivan (who at the time was liked by the Kingdom as he showed a lot of potential but in 2015 is now a former player that could be on the show, “What ever happened to …?” to the Carolina Hurricanes for their game 7 Stanley Cup hero Justin Williams. Today that trade looks like one hell of a steal and exactly the type of trade that has made Dean Lombardi famous around the hockey world but William’s beginnings as a King was a very rocky one as constant trips to the Injured Reserve list made Williams’ look like an injury prone weakling. Nothing could have been further from the truth. By 2015, Justin Williams became engraved into the history books as probably the most clutch player in Los Angeles Kings playoff history and I wouldn’t be surprised at all, if one day the Kings decide to retire his number 14 and have him join the “Royal Six” (or more by then) up high in the Staples Center rafters.

Beloved by all in the Kingdom, losing Williams, who is not only a hard to find talent on the ice (especially in the playoffs or more specifically in game sevens) but also a charismatic leader and strategic mastermind may end up being the loss that will hurt the most and the longest for us fans. Negotiations between Williams’ camp and the Kings started before the new calendar year but ceased right after as Williams wanted to focus on the rest of the season and not be distracted by any contract talks. Keeping Williams isn’t impossible but several factors will have to come in play for this to succeed. Buying out Mike Richards as previously discussed could help free the space necessary to keep Williams on the team but the Kings also need to plug some serious holes in their defense so it might be a more important priority to re-sign Andrej Sekera instead and signing both Sekera and “Stick” may not be financially possible. Jarret Stoll also plays heavily into all this and it is more than likely that the Kings cannot sign both Stoll or Williams either. Word is Williams is asking for approximately $4 million a year and to be honest he deserves more that in my books but that’s not financially realistic and neither is the $4 million he is rumored to be asking for. To make this fully work, this new contract is going to have to be a serious hometown discount.

So if this is truly good-bye then I want to say farewell and thank you Justin Williams. Thank you for coming back early to play against the San Jose Sharks in the 2011 playoffs even though you were still suffering from a painful separated shoulder. I can still see you scoring in game 4 of that series, giving your all while wincing in pain while we all were mesmerized and shocked by the spirit and toughness you had that we shamefully recognize you had until then and I will never forget that no look between the legs pass you did to “Kopi” while you had not one but TWO New Jersey Devil’s players covering you, which led to a clean breakaway and overtime winning goal for the Kings in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Thank you for your leadership and for the 2012 Stanley Cup Final pre-game speech you gave the team which inspired them to win it all for each other. Thank you for bitching out Henrik Lundqvist during the 2014 Stanley Cup Final when he made an easy save (he basically just covered the puck really) but theatrically made a show of it by raising his glove in the air and posing as the statue of liberty. It still gives me goose bumps to see you jawing at him for doing that while the referee tries to pull you way. Thank you for scoring in overtime to win game 1 of that series and opening up the scoring in game 5 which led to the second Cup win and making you the playoffs MVP!

Thank you for being the most amazing player I have ever witnessed in game sevens! Just thinking about how you have 7 goals and 7 assists in 7 career game 7’s, all of which are victories and add up to 14 total points which is your number as a King and also happens to be the amount of letters in your name just blows my mind!!! (WHHHHAAAATTT????!!!)

I believe that after you retire, there should be a statue of you in your honor, complete with your bushy playoff beard and curly hair, holding up the Conn Smythe Trophy in triumph in Star Plaza of the Staples Center. We may never see a player with your unique qualities and almost superhuman clutch abilities ever again. Thank you for being kind, thank you for being clutch and thank you Justin … well thank you for being you. You will forever be a Kings legend sir.

(For those wondering, the LA Kings player walking away and holding up the Stanley Cup in my CaliSports News profile and bio pic is non other than Justin Williams himself during his “day with the Cup” in his hometown of Cobourg, ON last summer! I had arrived late and got there just as Williams was about to leave so thankfully I was able to pull this picture off just in time. So thank you Justin Williams for also being clutch by allowing me to get that hilariously awesome photo-op with you and the Stanley Cup, even if it was accidentally!)