By GEORGE SIPPLE
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

November 9, 2006

Forward Jason Williams did not practice with the Red Wings on Thursday and will not play today against the Nashville Predators after being momentarily knocked out after a second period hit in Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory over the Oilers.

“He’s doing well,” coach Mike Babcock said. “He’s got a cut on his head from where he hit the ice. He’s been given a day-to-day (status). We’ll see how he does. Anytime you’ve got a cut on your forehead -- you gotta put a helmet on your head, the swelling’s gotta come down.

“He’s not going to play against Nashville, hopefully he’ll be ready against Vancouver.”

The Wings play Vancouver on Tuesday.

Babcock said Williams also had soreness in his neck.

Team spokesman John Hahn said Williams was released from the hospital Thursday morning and was at home resting. Hahn said Williams received 30 stitches for the cut above his eye.

Copyright © 2006 Detroit Free Press Inc.

He's on IR now...


Is hockey IR the same as the NFL where once they're on it they're for sure done for the year?

BY GEORGE SIPPLE

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Jason Williams looks like Frankenstein.

That was the opinion of some neighborhood children who delivered get-well cards to Williams this week.

Williams said he started joking around with the kids and said "Halloween's over, and I sort of still have my mask on."

A long, zigzag gash runs above Williams' right eye up to his forehead. The cut, which required 30 stitches, was caused by Williams hitting the ice face first after a wicked shoulder hit by Oilers forward Raffi Torres in the Wings' 3-0 victory Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

"I remember coming around the net and getting hit," said Williams, who suffered a concussion. "What I don't really remember is Piet coming out to me ... when he did come out to me, he said it took like 10 or 15 seconds before I started responding to most of his questions."

Williams was referring to team athletic trainer Piet Van Zant. Williams said he has watched replays of the hit and has no ill feelings toward Torres.

"I think it's part of the game," Williams said. "Clean hit. I'm not going to complain about it. It could have been worse."

Williams was attempting a wraparound when he was hit by Torres. Williams said he saw Oilers defenseman Jason Smith coming over from the front of the net, but "I didn't see him leave his point guy to come down to hit me.

"I didn't really expect it, and I think that's why I got basically knocked out because of that," Williams said. "When you don't see the hits coming, it takes a toll on you. When you see the hit coming, you have time to brace yourself and at that time I was just trying to wrap it around, trying to score a goal, and I didn't really see him coming."

Williams said his neck still is sore. He said he would miss Tuesday's game at Vancouver but would fly out Wednesday and join the team before Friday's game at Calgary.

"Still no headaches, so that's a good sign," Williams said. "If I were to go play a game right now, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it right yet."

Roy respect?: Wings fans loved to hate goaltender Patrick Roy when he played for the Colorado Avalanche.

Several current Wings who were involved in some of those memorable Wings-Avs games said they respect Roy, who will be inducted tonight in Toronto's Hockey Hall of Fame.

"Obviously, you could argue he's one of the best goaltenders to ever play the game," said Chris Chelios, who played with Roy on the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980s. "As a goaltender, as far as leadership, he's pretty tough to beat.

Some fans might have hated Roy, but Kirk Maltby said the Wings did not.

"He was probably one of our biggest foes, as far as being in Colorado," Maltby said. "He made it extremely tough for us to get to that next round, whether it was the Stanley Cup finals or the Western Conference finals.

"To say hate, no. It was fun playing against him."

Contact GEORGE SIPPLE at 313-223-4796 or gsipple@freepress.com.