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Williams is in Washington!

Justin Williams made his way to Kettler Capitals Iceplex today for his first press conference as a Washington Capital.

Williams has started to get acquainted to his new home, meeting many different people and exploring different areas.

“Going to a new team is different,” Williams said. “I got all of your guys’ faces I got to learn (referring to the media scrum) with the names and everything. I’m slowly doing that. I’m meeting the coaches, shaking everybody’s hand, pretending I know their names. That’ll come. It’s different. You’re moving to a new city, it’s going to be different for myself and my family. I’ve been in L.A. for six years, and now I’ve come back to the east coast.”

Williams started off his career on the east coast before moving out to sunny Los Angeles. He spent 3 and a half years with the Philadelphia Flyers, and then played 4 and a half seasons for the Carolina Hurricanes. But when Williams was making his decision on where he’d like to play next, there were several different factors that went into his decision.

“Obviously, (location) plays a little part,” Williams said. “There’s a bunch of things that play a part in your selection. Obviously the team, where you fit within the team, coach, facilities. In my instance, schools, where you live. A lot of those things. And certainly at the top of the list, does this team have a chance to win? And, you know, all of the boxes were checked in.”

Williams hasn’t played in the NHL with any of the guys currently on the Capitals, but he does have experiences with a couple of familiar guys.

“I played in World Championships with Chimera,” Williams said. “I played in an all-star game with Ovi one year. There’s not intense familiarity with a lot of players, but a lot of them have reached out, and that makes the transition easier.”

While Williams is getting comfortable in Washington, there is one thing he is looking to bring to the city that they have never experienced before; a Stanley Cup championship.

“I learned what it takes to win,” Williams said. “Winning, you want to celebrate with the people you care about. Celebrate with your teammates, with your family. You know the qualities and how hard it is, and when you do do it, the feeling is so good you just want to keep doing it. I want to try to win one with a different group of guys.”

Tommy Chalk

Tommy Chalk is a recent journalism graduate at the University of Maryland. He loves hockey, numbers and pretty much anything covered in ranch. Writes about fights and stuff that goes on in the Capitals world.

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