NHL captain announces he’s “taking a break” from hockey

This just in, Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams has announced that he’s “taking a break” from the NHL and will not join his team for the beginning of the 2019-20 season.

Check it out:

The 37 year old Williams hasn’t ruled out retirement as an option… but he also hasn’t ruled out returning as an option. And so… he’s stuck in the middle with his decision.

"This is the first time in my life that I've felt unsure of my aspirations with regards to hockey," said Williams in a prepared statement on the Hurricanes' website. "For as long as I can remember, my whole off-season until this point has been hockey and doing what was necessary to prepare for the upcoming season. Because of my current indecision, and without the type of mental and physical commitment that I'm accustomed to having, I've decided to step away from the game."

”It’s important to me that the focus of attention is on the current, very talented group the Carolina Hurricanes have assembled, as they prepare to build on the momentum and growth we established last season.”

”We appreciate Justin’s honesty and openness throughout this process, and respect his decision,” said Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell in the same statement. ”He’s been an important part of our team, but we did prepare our roster with the understanding that he might step away. We are confident in the group we’ve assembled.”