Canes Corner: Williams Driven by Competition

Justin Williams is a veteran: a veteran of the NHL, and a veteran of interviews. He's one of the more unique voices in the Carolina Hurricanes' locker room because of his honesty and tell-it-straight nature, which often makes for a quality soundbite.
The best soundbite of his latest appearance on Canes Corner might have been from his daughter, Jade, who, when asked if her dad has been good since returning to the Canes, quipped: "Yeah. Not as good as me though."
Here are some more highlights from
Williams' conversation with TV's Mike Maniscalco
.

On his mindset when he stepped away in September: "I don't think I knew anything. It was a time for reflecting, figuring out what was important to me and what I could do. It was a big family decision, too, right, Jade? I think if it was up to Jade, I'd be playing the whole year, not just half of it. But they really pushed me back into it, just to say go ahead, finish it off and see what you can do."
On what he did during the first half of the season: "I really wasn't bored. I woke up in the morning, made breakfast. Jade always likes her chocolate chip pancakes in the morning. I was just there doing stuff that I normally wouldn't be able to do as often. There's a lot of things I still want to do. I wanted to lower my golf handicap, but I didn't do that very well. I wanted to learn to play guitar, but I didn't do that very well, either."

On getting to know the new faces in the locker room: "I like the camaraderie. The new guys who have come into the room, it didn't take me long to get to know them. They're so easy-going and so easy to talk to. And I think as a whole, us as hockey players, we're pretty similar in a lot of aspects."
On the tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference: "There are going to be some really good teams that aren't going to make playoffs, but it's not going to be us."
On his prowess in the shootout: "In all honestly, I'd like to be a little more productive in regulation and overtime other than waiting until the shootout to do something."

On what makes Raleigh home: "I'm going to toot everyone's horn here. I find the people in the Raleigh area to be very, very nice. Very nice. It doesn't matter where you're going, people are genuinely nice. You go to the grocery store, and you have a three-minute conversation with the lady or man checking you out, just talking about the weather or what you're doing tonight or they really like these potato chips you're getting. We enjoy the people and the lifestyle. We thought this would be a great place to raise our family. That's one of the reasons we came back."
On his favorite memory from the 2006 Stanley Cup run: "Being able to be on the ice and ice it with an empty-netter. That's pretty cool. The whole thing in general was pretty special, from watching the fans and seeing how loud it was to getting my first taste of the Stanley Cup Final. It was a pretty awesome experience."
On if he would join an NHL coaching staff or front office when he retires: "Hockey has really given me everything in my life and is really the only thing I know. I like to challenge myself. I don't know where I'm going to end up in life, but I would obviously see myself veering in that direction, yes."
Jade, on if her dad did well on the show: "Yes."
Don't mis the
full Canes Corner episode
with Williams, which features all of this plus much more.
Canes Corner is a live radio show broadcast from Backyard Bistro. Hosted by Mike Maniscalco, the one-hour show features a Hurricanes guest and can be heard on 99.9 The Fan.