Stanley Cup Champion Jason Williams has had an incredible hockey career to date, spanning over 14 seasons at the professional level with five different NHL teams, stints in Europe (Finland and the Swiss Elite League) and in the American Hockey League. He has played alongside some of the most prominent names in the game and is using his experience to help lead the emerging Edmonton Oilers talent with the Oklahoma City Barons. Although his career has taken many twists and turns, his story serves as an inspiration to aspiring professional hockey players.

Growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, Williams noted his family was by far his biggest influence and source of support towards a career in hockey. “If it wasn’t for my parents taking me to hockey tournaments, early morning practices, and supporting me, I wouldn’t be where I am today and who I am today.  I have a brother who is 12 years older than me who was like a second dad and I looked up to him quite a bit. To this day we still discuss games. He was also a big influence in my hockey career.”

Williams spent his entire four-year junior career with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, where he enjoyed the opportunity to play in a passionate junior hockey market and established lifelong friendships with his teammates. “My first two years on the team were a little tough as I didn’t get a whole lot of ice time, but I learned a lot and really enjoyed the last two years where I got to play a lot more.”

“The city of Peterborough is a smaller city so some of the guys and I would get together on Tuesday nights and go to the movies or the mall. It was about three hours away from my home town so my parents would make the drive every Thursday to the home games. The fan support was great, even though we weren’t always a winning team.  They cheered us on anyway. The fans really made it an enjoyable place for the players to play.”

Williams went undrafted to the NHL at the conclusion of his Junior.  Although disappointing from the outset, he persevered in his pursuit of realizing his dream of making the NHL.

“Obviously it was disappointing not being drafted. I felt that I kind of deserved to be drafted.  However, for me, saying that I deserved to be drafted was not enough.  I knew I was better than some of the players who were drafted and I was going to do whatever I could to prove that I was.”

Although Williams’ Dad suggested at the time that he pursue schooling to further his education, Williams remained focus on his hockey playing career and never wavered from his ultimate goal of playing in the National Hockey League. “I wanted to dedicate the next five years of my life to try to get to the NHL. I wanted to see what would happen rather than later in life always wishing I had done this or that.”

“My brother and I made some highlight video tapes of myself and sent them to a lot of NHL teams.  Whether they looked at them or not, I don’t know. There were a few GM’s that did call and said that they received a tape, and said it was good that I was trying to promote myself and wanting to achieve my dream of playing in the NHL. I think they knew that I had a lot of heart and wanted to play. The Detroit Red Wings gave me an invite to their training camp and I just tried to make the best of it.”

“I was very fortunate that summer to sign a three year entry level deal with Detroit as a walk on. It just goes to show that by setting your mind and setting goals you can achieve anything. It is the mentality of getting that chance and having confidence in yourself that you’re going to take full advantage of that opportunity. I felt that I did that in Detroit. Every time I laced up my skates, I just went out there and tried to do the best I could.”

Williams fondly remembers his first NHL goal which he scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he grew up cheering for. “Growing up in London. I was a Leafs fan and my whole family were Leafs fans. For me to score my first goal against the Leafs with my parents at the game was pretty special. I remember I got the puck just over the blue line, walked in a few strides and took a slap shot. I think it deflected off Cory Cross’ foot and went off the post and in. It was definitely a great feeling to score my first NHL goal against Toronto. After the game I went down to the family room and saw my parents there. I gave my dad the puck and said ‘there you go. Hopefully there’s a lot more.’ He was pretty proud. My mom was there as well. Just to see the look on their faces, for me to achieve a goal like that, it was truly an amazing feeling.”

Williams was fortunate to play on some power house Detroit Red Wings teams, star studded with the likes of: Federov, Hasek, Datsyuk, Larionov, Yzerman, Lidstrom, Shanahan, and Hull to name a few. “It was amazing. To see how those guys worked every single day is something I  try to instil on the younger guys here in Oklahoma City.  I tried to learn as much as I could from those guys. They were great people. It was a phenomenal start to my career to be able to learn from guys like that and it helped me grow as a player and become the person I am today. Each guy would give a little advice here and there.  I remember Luc Robitaille saying ‘anytime you struggle and can’t seem to score, shoot five hole. You’re guaranteed to hit the net and you could surprise the goaltender.’ Marcel Dionne told him that. Robitaille scored a lot of goals in his career so that’s something I’ve always kept in the back of my head.  Brendan Shanahan was great with the one timer or getting the shot away quick. I would watch him in practice to see how he would do it. I would try and mimic that in my game and how he got open. Same with Brett Hull. He’d always say ‘don’t try and pick a corner, try and pick a side of the net. Don’t be too specific with your shot, don’t try and be like I have to go post and in, just try and get it away quick and on net. Don’t give the goalie a chance to set up.’”

Williams was part of the 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup Championship team. “That team was put together to win a Stanley Cup. The way Scotty Bowman was able to distribute ice time to all those guys and keep them happy was a true skill and part of what made him so great.”  

Although, as he explains, his role on that team was limited. “I remember I was in and out of the lineup the first few rounds, then it got to the Colorado series; I was still kind of in and out of the lineup. I remember playing game three in Colorado and Scotty Bowman came up to me 30 minutes prior to warmup and said I’d be centering Shanahan and Yzerman that night. He wanted to try and change up the matchups. I was excited but I didn’t know if I was ready for that. Throughout the playoffs, I was playing a limited role of maybe 7-8 minutes a game. He told me I’d be playing head to head against Joe Sakic. I think it was good he told me late so I didn’t have very much time to think about it.  I ended up playing a very good game that night and I was very fortunate to be in that situation. We won that game in overtime and I remember feeling like I was on top pf the world. The next game we lost and I was out of the lineup. You have to learn to control your emotions throughout the playoffs, and move on to the next game as quick as you can.”

To say winning the Stanley Cup was a great feeling is an understatement. “It was a great experience to learn from all those Hall of Fame players.  Sitting in Joe Louis Arena with the Stanley Cup was a dream come true. My family was there and my parents broke down in tears when they came down to the ice to see me. It was a night full of emotions.  At the time I thought ‘wow, I’m on a great team so there’s going to be more Stanley Cups down the road here.’  But I’ve never been to another championship since. It’s been 14 years now. It just goes to show that when you’re on a good team you want to take full advantage because the opportunity doesn’t come around very often. I miss that feeling and I want to win a Championship again.”

Williams has also been part of the World Hockey Championships and two Spengler Cup tournaments, including winning the Spengler Cup in 2012-13 with Team Canada. “World Hockey Championships are always nice.  Any time you get to put on your country’s jersey is special. It was a fun experience and something a lot of players enjoy. You usually get to go over to Europe with the guys for 3-4 weeks. You’re playing with guys you normally play against so you get to know them as individuals. It was always intriguing to meet other players and see some of their tendencies. The Spengler Cup is a great tournament and I think the oldest in history. Team Canada does a great job of incorporating everyone’s family. It’s over Christmas in Switzerland so you give up your Christmas in a sense to go play hockey but team Canada does a great job of accommodating family.”

Williams also spent a portion of his career playing in Europe, both in the Finish League (SM-liiga) and the Swiss Elite League (National League A).  He decided to play in Finland during the NHL lockout year of 2004 – 05. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the NHL so I needed to continue to play hockey and continue to get better. I was able to get a job in Finland so I went over there and had a great time.  The hockey was different but overall Finnish style hockey would be the closest to North American style. Some of the rinks are Olympic size but most rinks are NHL size. There were a few other NHL players on other teams. I was in a very small town and there wasn’t a whole lot to do.  It got dark there really fast. It was tough during the winter time because of the lack of sunlight. The overall experience going over there was great though and I’m glad I did it.  Sitting back and not playing wouldn’t have helped my development at all. The following year I came back to the NHL and had my best season.”

William would return to Europe during the 2012-13 NHL lockout, as he suited up for Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss National League A.  “Going to Switzerland was kind of the same as Finland because there was a lockout at the time.  I didn’t want to be out of a job and I had heard a lot of great things about Switzerland.  It definitely lived up to its expectations. It’s a beautiful country.  The scenery there is amazing with all the mountains.  Just driving around there’s never a dull sight. I was in the Italian part of Switzerland so the language barrier was challenging at times. Hockey wise, it’s a very good skating league. You have the bigger ice and the game wasn’t as physical as the Finnish league but it was definitely a lot faster and I think it helped me with coming back to play in North America when the season resumed. You have to skate a little more than you would over here and I think that’s helped me this year. I had a great time over there and my daughter was just born shortly after I arrived there.  Being a father for the first time and being over there with my wife as first time parents was tough. There was not a lot of support and a feeling of not knowing what we were going to do with a newborn. Hockey life changes when you have a kid; in a good way. You can come home after a bad game and see your child and they won’t know you had a bad game and they’re just happy you’re home. Kids brighten your day that much more and it makes you realize that there’s more to life than hockey. It makes life more enjoyable and changes your perspective. Thoughts are more family based rather than hockey at off times.”

Currently, Williams is the Assistant Captain of the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, who are set to take on the Utica Comets in the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.  Being a veteran player with a Stanley Cup ring, he brings a lot to the table, and helps mentor and guide Oilers prospects.  “Last summer I explained to Craig MacTavish that I’d like to come in and help his young guys out. I try to be the first to the rink every morning, the first in the gym, and just show these guys what being a professional is all about. I’m the oldest guy on the team but hopefully the younger guys can look at me and see how hard I’m working and do some of the same things. I’m trying to lead by example and help them find out what works for them. A lot of these kids have great work ethic. It’s just getting your focus right and knowing what you want to achieve, AHL or NHL. There are certain sacrifices you have to make to be an NHL player. It’s one thing to make the NHL.  The hardest part is staying because there is always someone else trying to take your job. You have to be prepared from day one of training camp to the last day of the regular season and hopefully playoffs. You have to be at your best at all times.”

Williams offers a glimpse to Oilers fans of the emerging talent in Oklahoma City, and suggests, there is reason for optimism.  “They’re trying to build their team from the draft, and they’ve got some great young prospects. Leon Draisaitl started the year with Edmonton. I got to see him in training camp and it was amazing to see the talent that he has. He almost reminds me of Datsyuk a little bit in his passing ability and his stick work. He may even be a step ahead of Pavel from when he first came into the league. As long as they bring him along the right way and don’t rush him he’ll be a great player.”  

Moving forward, Williams has his sights set on another championship, whether it be in the AHL or NHL. “I think the guys are excited for the playoffs now and hopefully we can go on a long run and get better every series. Hopefully, some of my experience and other guys’ experiences who have won the Calder Cups can help. For me personally, I think the further we go the better chances I have to getting a job next year.”

Williams’ leadership and experience will help the Barons in their quest for the Calder Cup, while his story also attests to the fact that our lives are based on what we make of it. That has defined Williams’ throughout his career to date and continues to bring these intangibles to each team and organization he plays for.