NEWARK, N.J. - In the last couple of days, more of the hockey worldhas come to appreciate the unsung ways of Justin Williams. The Los Angeles Kings' 30-year-old forward has had respect amongsthis peers since his rookie season with the Philadelphia Flyers in2000-01. But the spotlight has shone brighter on the unheraldedWilliams after his backhand pass in the neutral zone set uptalented linemate Anze Kopitar for the overtime winner onWednesday. "I just go about my business and do the things I do," Williamssaid, as his Kings prepared for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finalagainst the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 8p.m.
ET). "As long as I get appreciation from the guys in the room,that's all that matters." How can a first-line right wing on a team that has skated throughits improbable playoff run with 13 wins in 15 games beunderappreciated or underrated? It's because he plays alongside twoof the more high-profile Kings in Kopitar and captain Dustin Brown. Los Angeles second-line left wing Dustin Penner likens Williams toKopitar and Brown the same way one would with former NBA starsScottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. "If you're looking for me to pump my own tires, you're not going toget that from me," Williams said.
"I'm appreciative of what I haveand my role on this team." One person who has admired Williams for years now is Devils headcoach Peter DeBoer. As coach and general manager of the OHL'sPlymouth Whalers, DeBoer drafted Williams in the sixth round in1998, when Williams was playing junior C near his hometown ofCobourg, Ont., which is an hour east of Toronto. Caught scouts' attention Williams split his rookie OHL season with Plymouth and its tier IIaffiliate, but caught the attention of scouts the next year. TheFlyers selected him 28 th overall after a 51-goal, 113-point campaign in 91 combined regularseason and playoff games on a team that also featured StephenWeiss, but lost the 2000 OHL final to the Barrie Colts in sevengames.
"Kid came in and didn't make our team the first year," DeBoer said."We put him down on the tier II team. He just kept hanging around.You could tell he was a good hockey player, but he was about 150pounds. Had a great heart. Good story.
"Next year, he came back to camp and played for one year for me,was a first-round pick, never saw him again. He stepped right intoPhiladelphia. Great story of perseverance. Got a lot of time forJustin." And Williams has a lot of time for DeBoer. The coach kept after theplayer and turned him into a professional from top to bottom.
But Williams not only has persevered as a teenager, but he'spersisted through some difficult times in the NHL. He endured adifficult situation in the first round of the 2006 playoffs when hecaught Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu in the eye with a highstick. Koivu was knocked out for the rest of the season andWilliams, although he was not penalized on the play nor suspended,came under fire. Then there has been his long list of injuries. He's endured abroken left hand, a broken right hand, two left knee surgeries, ahip ailment, torn Achilles heel tendon and a bad back.
His medicalrecord is not pretty. "There have been a lot of things mentally that I've had to getover," Williams said. "I certainly never contemplated packing itin. But I certainly wondered if I would get to the level of 2006." After spending the 2004-05 lockout in Sweden playing for Lulea HFalongside NHLers like Tomas Holmstrom and Niclas Wallin, he put uphis best numbers with the Carolina Hurricanes in their 2005-06Stanley Cup season.
But that was only one of three seasons he's played a full 82-gameschedule. The latest was this past regular season, and now he has achance to join current teammates Penner, Colin Fraser and RobScuderi as the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10 th two-time Stanley Cup champions since the lockout. The othersinclude: Mark Recchi (2006, 2011), Craig Adams (2006, 2009), AndrewLadd (2006, 2010), Shawn Thornton (2007, 2011), Chris Kunitz (2007,2009) and Tomas Kopecky (2008, 2010). "Sometimes all you need is a fresh start," said Williams, whoarrived in Los Angeles three years ago in a three-way deal withCarolina and Edmonton that sent Patrick O'Sullivan to theHurricanes and Erik Cole to the Oilers.
"So far it's been good." It's up to Kovalchuk DeBoer has no plans to try and get high-scoring forward IlyaKovalchuk away from the matchup against the Kings defence tandem ofRob Scuderi and Drew Doughty in Game 2. Kovalchuk only had one shoton goal in the series opener. "We played [against Dan] Girardi and [Ryan] McDonagh against theRangers, same thing," DeBoer said. "If they're going to match thoseguys up in order to get him away, we're going to have to get awayfrom a four-line game. If they're matching up against Kovalchuk,then they're not matching up against Parise or other guys.
Thematchup game isn't something that I'm interested in or worriedabout. For me, it isn't relevant. "I think our identity is a four-line team. Kovy is a piece of that,but he's not the team.
I don't think that's how we're built. Idon't think that's why we've had success. We're capable ofsurviving on nights when he doesn't score or isn't at the top ofhis game, just like we're capable of surviving nights that Elias orParise or other guys aren't. I think that's the strength of ourteam." No repeat of Marty's blunder Last time Los Angeles was in the Stanley Cup final in 1993, theKings run at the championship was derailed when the Canadienscalled for an illegal stick on Kings defenceman Marty McSorley inGame 2. DeBoer was asked when was the last time he called for an illegalstick.
It was back in the 2005 OHL playoffs, when DeBoer coachedthe Kitchener Rangers and his captain was current Kings centre MikeRichards. Anaheim Ducks sniper Corey Perry, who was playing forDale Hunter's London Knights at the time, was the victim. "We had all been together with the [Canadian] world junior team,"DeBoer said. "I had found, probably a little unethically bycoaching him [Perry], that his stick was illegal at Christmas.
"We played London in the playoffs. I had Richie call Corey for anillegal stick. We actually got it. Didn't score in thefive-on-three.
I think London scored shorthanded and we lost theseries. It backfired." The Knights not only beat Kitchener and later won the OHLchampionship, they also prevailed to win the Memorial Cup at home afew weeks later. End of Story Content Back to accessibility links. I am an expert from Home Appliances, usually analyzes all kind of industries situation, such as raw hair dye , hair dye kits.
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