Williams’ comeback

Here’s what Justin Williams said today about his rehabilitation for his broken ankle…

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Question: You haven’t been around the team a lot during your rehab, but I imagine you’ve been working out in the mornings…

WILLIAMS: “I’ve definitely been around. I was able to get permission to come over here throughout the break, because I didn’t want my rehab to be backtracked because I wasn’t able to work out. So I came in and I’ve been doing my rehab over the break and things are progressing nicely.”

Question: I’m not sure what kind of timetable you’re on, but do you feel like you’re progressing the way you should be?

WILLIAMS: “Rehab is going well. There haven’t been any setbacks. Today was the first day that I actually got my skates on and went out for a twirl. I was on the ice before the guys. Right now, it’s not day by day but it’s kind of a week to week type thing, where hopefully it feels better every day and I can get used to skating again, because it’s been a while. There’s no timetable. I’ve got one in my head, but I’m not going to tell you. There’s no set, public timetable for when I will come back. I know that if I work hard enough and stick with it, I’ll hopefully be able to come back and help the team.”

Question: Is it safe to say that the target date would be before the end of the regular season?

WILLIAMS: “Maybe. (laughs)”

Question: Does it help, mentally, to have a target like that, something you can strive toward?

WILLIAMS: “Yeah. You need a goal. The team is performing awesome, and I want to be a part of that. That’s giving me even more drive, to come back to a team that’s playing well and positioning themselves well for playoff time. You want to come back and try to be a part of that, in whatever aspect that you can. That gives you a little bit more pop to your step when you come back.”