[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by Mike F

I know you can't judge the whole event by a single image, but for those hanging onto the "He had his bell rung and was too woozy to register the linesman" defense, this is a pretty damning shot:

Wideman is fully upright, with his head up, looking straight at the linesman, and is gliding balanced on one skate. A guy who has his bell rung would not be skating like that, which accords with Wideman's own assertion that he'd wrenched his shoulder but did not have any cognitive issues.

FWIW, I think Kerry Fraser's take is probably closest to the truth - Wideman thinks he can get between the linesman and the boards, and by the time he realizes he can't, he's unable to get fully out of the way.

Having said that, looking at the video I can't see how he was ever going to get between the linesman and the boards, and when you have an official in a vulnerable position you have to be sure you avoid contact. To use a legal term, Wideman was completely negligent in how he approached the linesman, struck him high when he was in a vulnerable position, and skated away with no show of concern. For that, I'm fine with anything up to 5 games. The league is justified in ensuring its officials are protected.

One problem, we still can't see his eyes. Where are they looking? Are they even open? It would seem he's looking straight ahead but there's no way to tell.