Archive for the 'Jason Williams' Category

3/3 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on March 3, 2007
in Blackhawks, Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek, Game Reports, Hockey Bloggers, Injuries, Jason Williams, Jiri Hudler, Mikael Samuelsson, Nick Lidstrom, Robert Lang and Tomas Holmstrom
. 2 Comments

Update (10:43 PM): Just a clarification on my last update: Holmstrom’s last shift ended around the 14 minute mark of the third period. I apologize for wording it so ambiguously before. Thanks to Justin for pointing that out.

Also, Ansar Khan informed me via email that neither Robert Lang nor Tomas Holmstrom practiced today. Mike Babcock told him there were no injuries during the game against the Hawks, however. - Matt

Update (6:35 PM): I just remembered something I’d meant to mention earlier: Tomas Holmstrom left the game around the 14 minute mark and didn’t return, as pointed out by the FSN crew, who had noticed he wasn’t on the bench.

I haven’t seen anything indicating he has an injury, so it may have just been a case of Mike Babcock resting his top line, as neither Pavel Datsyuk nor Valtteri Filppula took any shifts from about 16:00 on, after they had helped kill of a penalty with Danny Markov and Nicklas Lidstrom. (via the shift chart) - Matt

So, I got home on the Detroit side of the state last night (for “Spring Break”) at around 2:30 AM after watching the game in Holland, thanks to terrible weather until around Lansing. Then I slept about four hours longer than I meant to, and now I’m way behind the eightball on the day. So, some links to people more on top of things than me, with a little commentary:

… The Wings won last night, 6-2 over Chicago. I watched the game but don’t have a heck of a lot to say about it, except that it’s nice to see the Wings can produce offense without Henrik Zetterberg in the lineup. However, as Dave at Gorilla Crouch has pointed out today, the Blackhawks aren’t exactly a Grade “A” opponent, so the jury’s still out.

For a reaction to the game from someone who was there, see Steph’s report at No Pun Intended.

… Jason Williams scored twice on his former team, prompting Mike Babcock to give the quote of the year:

“It’s good to see him score, too. What the heck.”

(via. Abel to Yzerman)

… It looks like the Wings having taken such a vested interest in rejuvenating the second line has awakened Robert Lang, who had four-point night and was as involved in the offense as he’s been all season. The Free Press wins the award for most lame headline today, with their story on the game: “Lang time coming: Center leads Wings past Hawks.”

… Nicklas Lidstrom scored his 200th career goal (finally) in the third period, and Christy Hammond of Behind the Jersey was there to cheer him for it.

… The FSN crew made a big deal out of the fact that Jiri Hudler came out for warmups wearing his red helmet last night. Apparently, he was thrown off by the fact that the Wings usually wear red at home, but were wearing white so that the Hawks could use their black jerseys. Ansar Khan reports that Robert Lang finally told him, after the whole team had a good laugh. Jiri scored a nice breakaway goal later in the game, making that the most memorable thing he did last night, rather than than the helmet thing.

… It looks like Chris Osgood will get another start, as Dominik Hasek will not be able to return tomorrow against the Avalanche, according to Ansar Khan. The Wings, needless to say, are taking every precaution with Dom and will not be rushing him back. Khan also says that Chris Chelios will be a game-time decision tomorrow.

… The Free Press reports that Mikael Samuelsson skated yesterday, though not with the team. He’ll still take some time to get back into game-shape so don’t expect to see him too soon.

… Lastly, non-Wings related: James Mirtle has been blogging about the Cam Janssen elbow on Tomas Kaberle last night, a vicious hit which knocked Kaberle unconscious and out of the game. Janssen has been suspended for three games, a verdict with which I wholly agree, as those kinds of hits should have no place in the game. However, it’d be nice if the League were more consistent in dealing out such penalties for those types of hits. A shoulder to the head is about as bad as an elbow, NHL.

3 Way Trade Yields Kyle Calder for Jason Williams

Published
by
Sarah Baker
on February 26, 2007
in Blackhawks, Flyers, Jason Williams, Kyle Calder and Roster Moves
. 3 Comments

Update (Matt, 27. Feb, 12:03 AM): One last thing tonight: what number will he wear? He can’t have #19, which he had in Philly, nor can he have #16 or #9, both of which he has worn at different points in his career. He wore #25 his first year in Chicago, but I would think that’s also untouchable. Hopefully he won’t go fo #91 or else I’ll be pissed. He’s worn #32 before and could wear it again, even though it seems like a goalie’s number. Steve Thomas wore it during his time in Detroit so it actually might be fitting for Calder to take it. Anyway, it’s all speculation. We’ll find out tomorrow. (thanks to Sarah for doing the detective work on the numbers). - Matt

Update (Matt, 11:48 PM): Here’s what Ken Holland has to say about Calder, via the Freep:

“He chases the puck, he’s a forechecker. Come playoff time, that’s an ingredient you need. He’s not pretty, but he’s a gritty, greasy type of player.”

Sounds good to me. I’m very interested in seeing Calder play and it looks like we’ll get our chance tomorrow night as he’s expected to be in the lineup. - Matt

Update (Sarah, 10:53PM): Just a little more info on Calder for those (like me) who weren’t too familiar with him. He’s a 28-year old forward currently making $2.9 million a season. I spent a little time reading over his stats page on TSN and was pleased to read that he, “Provides his team with a bundle of energy every shift. Has a propensity to step it up in key situations. ” Sounds pretty good to me. Most sources seem to feel that he’s a gritty player (something there has certainly been a major outcry for…). One thing that stood out to me is that the guy hasn’t missed a game due to injury since October of 2005. Durability - there’s something to add to your list of pros. As for cons - well, this season’s stats top that list. +/- has never been stellar (though -31 is far below the norm). Personally I’m feeling pretty good about it at this point. I think once this guy gets on a winning team and starts having some fun, he could start putting up good numbers again. I bet Ken Holland does too. -Sarah

Update (Matt, 10:14 PM): Okay, the more I read about Calder, the better I feel about him. The general concensus seems to be that he’s a good player who’s just having a bad year. And if he’s a grittier player than Williams with a strong work ethic and good hands, I’m thinking he’ll fill the Wings’ need pretty well. Of course, we’ll have to see how he actually gels with the team, but I’m optimistic. - Matt

Update (Matt, 10:05 PM): Here’s James Mirtle’s take, plus the tidbit that the Wings are rumored to be close to getting Bill Guerin. I still find that hard to believe, but I could be wrong. Can the price have gone down that much? - Matt

Update (Matt, 10:00 PM): First of all, I’m unsure about how I feel about this deal. I know very little about Calder except that his stats are probably deflated from having been on a bad team, as Sarah pointed out below. I’m not sure what we gain by the trade, but perhaps Calder will be jumpstarted by a change in scenery. We’ll just have to see.

It’s a little hard to believe that Williams is no longer a Red Wing. It had to be awkward tonight when he got the call in Chicago. It will be strange if he’s on the ice tomorrow night for the Hawks, that’s for sure.

No comment from the Wings yet, but Jason Williams had a parting shot that struck me as a little odd, via the TSN article:

“I’m happy to be going to a team that wants me and I’m looking forward to helping the Blackhawks.”

From that I’ll assume he means he was Mike Babcock’s boy, not the front office’s. Interesting. Well, good luck in Chicago, Jason. - Matt

I’d be surprised now if anything else happens for the Wings on the trade front.

Paul Kukla is reporting a three way deal between the Blackhawks, the Flyers and the Red Wings

Apparently Chicago dealt Lasse Kukkonen and a third round pick to Philadelphia for Kyle Calder. Then Chicago traded Calder to the Wings in exchange for Jason Williams.

Hey, now we don’t have to worry about Babs putting Willy on the point anymore! That alone makes the trade worth it in my eyes (sorry Jason…).

TSN says Calder has 9 goals and 12 assists in 59 games with a +/- of -31

I was a little stunned by the -31 at first but then I remembered he’s been playing for the bottom-feeding Flyers. I expect that will improve playing with the defensive-minded Wings. We’ll see how he does in Willy’s spot on the 2nd line. Hopefully he’ll provide the offensive spark we’ve been looking for.

Khan: Lebda to play as forward

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 30, 2006
in Brett Lebda, Dominik Hasek, Injuries, Jason Williams and Joey MacDonald
. 0 Comments

Apparently, Jason Williams will not be back until Tuesday night in St. Louis at the earliest. So, rather than call someone up from Grand Rapids, Mike Babcock has decided to play Brett Lebda as a forward instead of as a defenseman this weekend. According to Ansar Khan, Babcock, “would rather have both Lebda and Andreas Lilja in the lineup than anyone who’s currently in Grand Rapids.”

Interesting decision. Lebda has a lot of speed, and sometimes seems almost like a forward already, so it should work well. I like it.

Khan also says Dominik Hasek will start Friday night in Minnesota, which means we’ll have the same question about goaltending we had last week: who will start Saturday, Joey MacDonald or Dom? If it’s Joey, I hope the team will give him better support this time around.

Williams Update

Published
by
Sarah Baker
on November 29, 2006
in Injuries and Jason Williams
. 0 Comments

Looks like Helene St James may have been a bit over-optimistic earlier when she told us that Jason Williams might return Friday. She now has an update on the injured forward’s status:

“I don’t think I’ll be playing Friday for sure,” Williams said. “Saturday, we’ll see how I feel.”

That means the Wings will have to call someone up for Friday’s game if they don’t want to be short a forward. Many have suggested we need an enforcer, a la Brad Norton. He’s nursing a back injury right now though, so if they want to go that route, they’d have to call up Darryl Bootland. Another likely option would be Josh Langfeld. Ken Holland is supposed to be in Grand Rapids tonight, so I guess we’ll see who catches his eye.

11/28 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 28, 2006
in Injuries, Jason Williams, Notes, Pavel Datsyuk and Stars
. 1 Comment

Update (4:59 PM): Helene St. James reports that Jason Williams may return to the ice Friday night in Minnesota. Apparently, he feels a lot better today than he did last night and the pain could very well be gone in time for the game.

She says Ken Holland will be in Grand Rapids Wednesday (I’ll keep an eye out for him, though I won’t be leaving campus tomorrow) to check out the Griffins in case Williams does not return and the team needs an extra forward.

St. James believes Josh Langfeld is the most likely choice in such an event, though I think Darryl Bootland could be the one to get the call, despite what she says. Krys Kolanos, who stopped practicing with the team last week and with whom Bootland may have clashed, is now officially gone*, therefore removing a possible reason for Darryl’s recent benchings. He would bring a needed dimension, if he’s no longer in the doghouse.

*Interestingly enough, so is Stefan Liv, who has been sent down to Toledo of the ECHL in order to fine-tune his game after an awful North American debut. - Matt

Update (12:37 PM): George Malik links to a Windsor Star piece that points out that the Wings’ miserable power play isn’t operating in a vacuum: teams know they won’t have to pay for cheap shots as long as they’re facing the league’s worst PP percentage.

I can’t disagree, though only one of the three big injury-causing cheap shots so far this season (Wiliams 1, Franzen, Williams 2 below) has resulted in a Detroit power play. Kind of hard to use the man advantage for revenge when the officials aren’t calling penalties on the plays. - Matt

Update (11:37 PM): … IwoCPO is in fine form with his recap of last night’s game. Check it out here. - Matt

… The Wings won last night, 2-1 over Marty Turco and the Stars. Guess Tippett’s gamble to counter history didn’t work. Definitely a win the team needed.

I caught a little of the game, but was distracted by homework (among other things) at the time and don’t have much to say on it. I will comment that they seemed to be turning the puck over a lot, though they seemed to do a fair job of getting back to make up for their mistakes. Also, is it just me or does Dom fall a lot more this year?

… I did happen to be watching when Niklas Hagman’s knee caught Jason Williams just above his own knee behind the net in the Dallas end. I saw the replay from a couple angles and didn’t immediately think “Intentional knee-on-knee contact,” but some of the Wings are saying that it was, including alternate captain Kris Draper, who’s not known for shooting off his mouth. Mike Babcock, however, doesn’t believe Hagman went out of his way on the play, which resulted in a charley horse for Williams and fortunately not any knee damage. He’s listed as day-to-day, as of last night.

If it was intentional, I’d like to see some kind of disciplinary action by the NHL because then this lack of respect would be truly ridiculous. If it was just bad luck, that’s little consolation for Williams, who doesn’t need any more injury troubles on plays like that.

… Gotta love the title of the Freep’s Wings Corner today: “Datsyuk plans to shoot more.”

Apparently, he’s afraid that his opponents around the league have figured him out and know that he’s always looking for the pass. His solution? Shoot more. I’ll believe it when I see it, Pavel. I suppose it’s a good thing he realizes the puck doesn’t go into the net on its own.

Helene St. James provides two other excuses for Datsyuk: he has no proven Shahanan-like finisher, and he’s called on more to play a defensive role, like the rest of the forwards.

Yeah, well, you still need to produce offensively, Pavel. Just because you don’t have cannon for a wingman or because you’re meant to be more responsible defensively doesn’t mean you need to skate into a crowd and turn the puck over.

11/21 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 21, 2006
in Chris Osgood, Danny Markov, Injuries, Jason Williams, NHL, Nick Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Notes and Tomas Holmstrom
. 3 Comments

Update (6:50 AM): Ansar Khan reports that Chris Osgood has a fractured left wrist and will be out for 3-4 weeks. Apparently, they’re not calling anyone up at this time.

“My feeling is we’ll go with the two goalies and Dom will be on the bench when he doesn’t start,” Holland said. “But, that could change between now and (today).”

There are back-to-back games this Friday and Saturday, against St. Louis and Nashville. If they don’t call up Liv again, this would force Hasek to back up Joey, probably against St. Louis. It’s possible that they’ll call someone up later in the week, to prevent this. If not…well, let’s hope Joey doesn’t need to be pulled. -Megan

… Helene St. James profiles the Markov-Lidstrom pairing in the Freep today. Among other things, she points out that Markov’s reliability has meant that the Wings have not had to rely so heavily on Lidstrom, who isn’t averaging the near-30 minutes a game he usually plays.

It’s a good piece, but there is one gaffee on her part:

Markov, 30, plays bigger than his slender 6-foot-1 frame; last month, for example, he delivered a crushing open-ice hit on Edmonton’s Ethan Moreau, who is 6-2, 220 pounds. Moreau, who hasn’t played since, coughed up the puck on the hit, and the play led to a goal for the Wings.

It’s the same mistake John Wawrow made a little less than a month ago. I’m not exactly sure why it’s so easy to confuse Moreau and Jarret Stoll.

… Ted Kulfan of the News looks at Jason Williams and his concerns over physical contact in his first game back (Saturday). Apparently, they were unfounded, as there “definitely no shying away from anyone,” on Williams’ part.

Good to hear. So, you’re going to become a hitter now, Jason?

… The Freep’s Steve Schrader looks at the names of the NHL’s trophies and has some suggestions in light of the Cold-FX Mark Messier Award:

But what about the Gordie Howe Trophy, maybe for most Gordie Howe hat tricks?

Or the Wayne Gretzky Award for the top playmaker? The Mario Lemieux Trophy for the top-scoring owner?

Or the Scotty Bowman, for most creative line combinations.

Well, maybe they could rename one award. Instead of the Lady Byng, call it the Claude Lemieux Trophy, just to show a little sense of irony

Don’t forget to tack corporate sponsors to the front, Steve.

… Both papers report that Tomas Holmstrom and Niklas Kronwall are ready to return from groin injuries. “Babcock is confident,” they’ll be back Wednesday for the Canucks game.

As for Chris Osgood’s left wrist:

“I don’t think it’s broken,” he said. “I’ve had broken hands before and it’s not the same thing. It’s something different. It’s just that it’s where I catch the puck all the time, so I have to get it looked at. Hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later.”

Yes, hopefully. There may be more news on Ozzie later today since he was supposed to get his wrist looked at yesterday afternoon.

Khan: Torres gives Williams the cold shoulder

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 20, 2006
in Jason Williams, Oilers and The Team
. 0 Comments

After the hit on Jason Williams, there was a lot of talk about how Raffi Torres felt terrible about it, as he watched the medical team work on him in the corner and talked about it after the game. Well, maybe the talk was true, but any remorse couldn’t have lasted long, as Ansar Khan reports:

Williams said Torres did not say anything to him on the ice during Saturday’s game. No, “Sorry about that, hated to see your face slam to the ice and all the blood spill out,” no “Hope you’re feeling better, too bad you had to be carried off on a stretcher.”

However, two of Torres’ teammates put him to shame:

Instead, Williams said Oilers defenseman Matt Greene came up to him after a whistle and asked him how he felt and forward Ryan Smyth told him it was good to see him back.

Impressive.

Khan goes on to point out that, though the hit was seen as clean by the team, no one went after Torres Saturday. To contrast, he cites the Oilers’ response to Danny Markov’s hit on Jarret Stoll, with Ethan Moreau and Steve Staios going after him over two games, as an example of a team willing to defend itself against physical play.

Khan notes that teams are still unafraid of taking runs at the Wings, even though the team is trying to become more physical.

Good points, Ansar. It does not bode well for their efforts at shedding their old reputation in favor of a new, tougher one, if they can’t even defend one of their own teammates. They may not be shying from physical play so much any more but there’s still a missing dimension.

11/16 Injury Update

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 16, 2006
in Chris Osgood, Injuries, Jason Williams, Niklas Kronwall and Tomas Holmstrom
. 3 Comments

Update (10:45 PM): Helene St. James elaborates on Khan’s information in a blog post of her own.

She says what might keep Williams out is his neck, which is still sore.

Apparently, Kronwall feels fully healthy again, as he went through the whole practice and even stayed after. Sounds like he’ll be back against the Flames.

She confirms that Holmstrom will not play tomorrow night.

She then points out a bit of a dilemma for Mike Babcock: with Chris Osgood unavailable (he hasn’t practiced all week and therefore most likely wouldn’t play even if he suddenly became healthy), he can play Hasek both Friday and Saturday, or he could start MacDonald in Edmonton with Hasek backing up. The second scenario would seem more likely except for the fact that the Wings’ plan is to never put Hasek into a game cold due to a risk for injury if MacDonald were to get shelled and need to be pulled.

Babcock apparently doesn’t know what he’ll do yet, but I’m guessing they may just play Dom two nights in a row and hope Osgood is ready to start on Tuesday against the Canucks so Dom can watch the game from the lockerroom or wherever he goes when not in the lineup. - Matt

Ansar Khan reports that Jason Williams has joined his teammates in Calgary and feels good after practicing today. He won’t know whether or not he’s playing tomorrow night against the Flames until after the morning skate. If Williams does sit again, three of the four team rookies, at least, will be in the lineup.*

Khans goes on to say that Tomas Holmstrom is not ready to return from a groin injury. Apparently, he left practice early today and will not play this weekend. Niklas “Konwall,” however, could return from his groin injury tomorrow night. If not, both Brett Lebda and Andreas Lilja will be in the lineup rather than just one of them.

Chris Osgood will not dress tomorrow night or Saturday since his hand is still bothering him. Joey MacDonald may get some NHL action on Saturday if Babcock decides to give Hasek the night off.

Link

*Langfeld has previous NHL experience and therefore isn’t technically a rookie - hence the term “team rookies.”

Langfeld Called Up

Published
by
Megan Hirdes
on November 13, 2006
in AHL, Griffins and Jason Williams
. 4 Comments

Griffinscentral reports that Josh Langfeld was called up from Grand Rapids today. This should suggest that Williams might not play at all on this road trip. DetNews had reported earlier today that Williams was still healing, but hoped to catch up with them later in the week–perhaps in Calgary on Friday, as the Freep suggested. This is still a possibility, and perhaps Langfeld is just a precautionary call-up, in case someone gets injured on the road. They have Kopecky, who is usually scratched, so they shouldn’t need a replacement for Williams otherwise.

The most interesting thing about this is the fact that the Wings completely skipped over Brad Norton. I’m wondering, as I’m sure Norton is, why this is. A major part of why Norton decided to go to the AHL rather than retire was because he could get called up. So why did they call up Langfeld over Norton?

Langfeld is having a good season thus far with Grand Rapids. He is second on the team in points, with only Kip Miller ahead of him. In 15 games, Langfeld has 6 goals and 12 points with a +/- of -3. Four of his six goals are on the powerplay.

Williams: Hit was clean

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 12, 2006
in Injuries and Jason Williams
. 0 Comments

Jason Williams skated today and spoke to the media afterwards. About the Torres hit, Ansar Khan has this quote:

It’s part of the game, a clean hit. I’m not going to complain about it.

That doesn’t mean it should be a part of the game, Jason.

He may play on Friday in Calgary.

Also, Khan says Niklas Kronwall will not play on Tuesday in Vancouver due to a groin injury sustained during the Nashville game Friday night (which I forgot to mention earlier).

Link