At age 24, Justin Williams was raising the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes.
His empty-net goal late in Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers sealed a 3-1 victory, and he was front and center later when the celebratory team photo, all smiles and hugs, was taken on the ice with the Cup.
At 35, Williams is back. The forward returned to the Hurricanes on Saturday, signing a two-year, free-agent contract worth $9 million. He also brings with him two more Stanley Cup rings _ won with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014 _ and a reputation as "Mr. Game 7" for his clutch play in the biggest games.
"He's shown he can score goals, so we expect him to score some goals for us," Canes general manager Ron Francis said Saturday. "He's won three Stanley Cups in his career. He's shown in the big games he rises to that level he needs to get to to be successful.
"On a team with a lot of young players we think he's going to have huge influence in our locker room, getting those guys to understand what it takes to be successful. It's great he believes in what we're building and what we're doing."
NHL free agency began at noon Saturday, and many in the league may have been surprised that Williams signed with the Canes. To be sure, the money was good _ $5 million in the 2017-18 season, $4 million in 2018-19. Williams made $3.25 million each of the past two seasons with the Washington Capitals.
"Once we got close to a deal it put a smile on my face and my wife's face," Williams said Saturday. "We're excited for the opportunity, and I'm certainly excited for the opportunity to work with a coaching staff that I'm pretty familiar with and a team I feel is trending up in the right direction, for sure.
"Carolina hasn't been to the playoffs since 2009, so that's a long time. It's time to climb the ladder and get relevant. I really like this team and like where it's going."
One of the Canes assistant coaches is Rod Brind'Amour, the captain on the 2006 champions. Williams and Brind'Amour, who once sat next to each other in the Canes' locker room, have remained friends, and Brind'Amour said Friday he had been lobbying for the Canes to try and sign Williams.
"It's awesome," Brind'Amour said Saturday, after the announcement. "Obviously I've got a bias. I know what he's about as a person. That's really the important thing for me.
"You guys see how he plays _ he plays hard every night and all that. But it's the other stuff he brings. That's the kind of person we want in our locker room leading this group, really."
Williams has played 1,220 regular-season and playoff games and the right winger twice scored more than 30 goals in a season for the Canes _ 31 in 2005-06, and another seven in 25 playoff games during the Cup run. Now in his mid-30s, he had 22 goals and 52 points for the Caps in 2015-16, then 24 and 48 points last season although Washington was bounced from the playoffs each season by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"In this league you have to be confident in your abilities, and I'm certainly confident in my ability," Williams said. "I can produce offensively. I mean, that's no secret. That's what I'm here to do among other things, but I think more importantly being there and hopefully being a presence and helping this young talented team kind of take the next step.
"I'm not coming in here to be Mr. Head Honcho. I'm just trying to come in and be myself, and I think that's what Carolina wants."
Canes coach Bill Peters urged Francis after the season to bring in some established NHL players, either through trading draft picks, the normal hockey trades or free-agent signings. Peters said Saturday he welcomed adding Williams, a proven winner, to the locker room and the lineup.
"Our room is strong and now we just made it stronger," Peters said. "Obviously, 'Willy' is both. He's good in the room, but he's very good on the ice. He's been there. He's done that, he's done it here in Carolina in '06.
"It's an exciting acquisition. We had some holes to fill this summer and we filled them."
Francis brought in goalie Scott Darling from Chicago. He traded for defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, another former Blackhawks player. He landed Williams, a splashy signing, and in a lesser deal Saturday also signed Josh Jooris as a depth forward for one year and $775,000.
"We talked to a boatload of free agents," Francis said.
Williams, a first-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2000, was traded to the Canes in January 2004 for defenseman Danny Markov. He signed a one-year contract before the 2005-06 season, earning a five-year extension after winning the Cup.
Then, a string of injuries _ a torn ACL and MCL late in 2007, a torn Achilles tendon in 2008, a broken hand in 2009. On March 5, 2009, Williams was traded to the Kings in a three-team deal that brought forward Erik Cole back to the Canes.
The Canes reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2009 but have since been on the outside looking in during the postseason. Williams, who has played in eight Games 7s in his career and has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists), won the two Cups with the Kings and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoffs MVP in 2014.
In July 2015, Williams signed as a free agent with the Caps, hoping to help push them over the top and win a Cup. Two years later, he's back in a Canes uniform and could wear No. 14 again.
Francis did not rule out Williams possibly being the team captain _ the Canes had no one wear the "C" last season. But for now, having him signed and a part of the team was the most important thing.
"We had him in our organization," Francis said. "We know him as a person. The leadership qualities are there."
