WINGS CORNER: Lebda proving a good substitute for Woolley

November 1, 2005

BY HELENE ST. JAMES
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Defenseman Brett Lebda's second stint with the Red Wings might be a hefty one.

Coach Mike Babcock gave that indication Monday because he's not optimistic about Jason Woolley's return from a recent groin injury.

"He's on the table, gaining weight as we speak," Babcock said. "He's not close, obviously, he's not even skating. We're going to make sure on all the groin injuries that guys are more than ready when they come back, and so he's a long way off."

Woolley last played Oct. 22, after which the Wings plugged in Jamie Rivers for two games. But given their emphasis on puck possession and speed, the Wings called up Lebda Saturday and used him with Chris Chelios against Chicago, much as they will tonight when they again play the Blackhawks.

"Lebs has played good," Babcock said. "He moves the puck for us and he skates. I thought he allowed Cheli to be more aggressive, and to me that's real important for us. I say it every day: Our forwards are a group that needs the puck, so you have to get them the puck, you have to be able to make plays."

Though he's only 23, Lebda has won admirers on the team for his poise, especially for how well he handles the puck. Most young defensemen get rid of it as soon as it lands on their stick. Lebda has demonstrated the ability to control it and make the right pass.

"He does a good job," Babcock said. "He's really efficient. He skates so good. I thought he made a tough read early in the first period (Saturday) where he got over on a guy, but other than that, I thought he had a real good night, and he made outlet passes. That leads to speed."

Lebda had such a good training camp that when Niklas Kronwall suffered a left knee injury Sept. 27 at Colorado, Lebda was a natural choice to fill in. He stuck around for two games, but then the Wings signed Woolley, a veteran who can move the puck, and Lebda was sent to Grand Rapids.

NOTEBOOK: The Wings have gone only two games without any power-play goals, so it's little surprise they lead the NHL in power-play efficiency at 27.8%.

"I think we've had good net-front presence, with (Tomas) Holmstrom and (Brendan) Shanahan," Babcock said. "I think we obviously have real dynamic players up front. (Mikael) Samuelsson has given us a real boost with his ability to find loose pucks, and then on the point, I mean, (Nicklas) Lidstrom and (Mathieu) Schneider and (Jason) Williams can all absolutely shoot the puck." ... Shanahan was excused from practice for personal reasons.

Contact HELENE ST. JAMES at 313-222-2295 or stjames@freepress.com

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