A very strange moment happened in the second period of Wednesday night’s game between the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators.
Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman was skating to his team’s bench and cross-checked a linesman into the boards from behind. It appeared to be on purpose, too, as Wideman made absolutely no attempt to avoid the official.
Wideman explained himself after the game.
Dennis Wideman on hitting linesman Don Henderson: “I was just trying to get off the ice. And, at the last second, I looked up and saw him."
— Kristen Anderson (@KdotAnderson) January 28, 2016
In Wideman’s defense, he had just taken a hard hit from Predators forward Miikka Salomaki and appeared to be a bit woozy. It’s possible he thought the linesman was an opposing player, but I’m not sure the league would buy that rationale.
Even though Wideman was adamant that this incident was an accident, the video evidence doesn’t look good at all. According to Rule 40, he could face a suspension regardless of whether there was intent to injure.
Stay tuned, this matter might be far from over.
