LA Kings: “Mr. Game 7” Justin Williams officially retires

Justin Williams was a big part of the LA Kings Stanley Cup runs. The forward officially announced his retirement on Thursday.

Over his 19-year career in the NHL, Justin Williams played in nine Game 7’s. His team had an 8-1 record in such games, with Williams having a hand in every one of those outcomes. He won two Stanley Cups with the LA Kings, and freshly off turning 39, Williams has called it a career.

He holds the outright record for most points in Game 7’s (15).

His performance during the 2014 Stanley Cup run was nothing short of spectacular. After failing to log any points against the Sharks in the first three games, Williams proceeded to rip off 6 points (4 G, 2A) in four games to advance the Kings to the Western semi-finals against Anaheim.

And in a similar fashion, Williams had just one point through the first four games of the series, but then tallied 4 over the final three games, including a goal and an assist in…you guessed it…Game 7. Against the Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals, Williams scored the game-tying goal with 2:38 left in the first period, setting the stage for Alec Martinez in OT, in which he had an assist.

In his retirement post above, Williams expressed his gratitude towards the Kings’ organization:

“Phil Anschutz, Dean Lombardi, Michael Futa and the LA Kings organization for which I will forever be grateful to for helping me resurrect a career that was sliding away and giving me a renewed confidence in myself at a time when I needed it most.”

And while the series never went to seven games, Williams’ impact in the 2014 Stanley Cup was invaluable. He scored 2 goals with 5 assists in the five-game series, including the Cup-clincher’s first goal. For his efforts, Williams was given the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2014 playoffs.

Thanks for everything, Justin. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.