It is amazing how this statement comes purely because this is a Calgary Flame hockey player. I guarantee if Wideman had been a Canuck instead of a Flame, most of the posts like the one I quoted would be commending the NHL on a job well done. You can say different but it is rather obvious.
Just stop with this. You don't know how other people would react if it was a non-Flame, and if you say otherwise you are full of something.
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I'm curious as to how many of the folks who are outraged over the Wideman suspension were the same ones who want him shipped out for a bag of pucks? Conversely, if the incident were to happen to say, Andrej Sekera, what would the reaction be?
I'm okay with the suspension. Woozy or groggy or whatever the excuse is, Wideman cross-checked a linesman. Can't do that.
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I will be very interested to see how this incident will affect the attitude of the officials toward the Flames in general, going forward. Will the Flames start having lots of calls or non-calls unfairly go against them? I strongly suspect the answer to this question is "Yes" but we will will see. For this reason, if I was a Flames fan, I would be quite happy with the 20 game suspension....had Wideman gotten off scot free or lightly, you can bet the officials would have taken things out on the Flames with a vengeance. They may yet do so, but the 20 games might temper things a bit.
How do you know he said he was 'woozy' in the hearing? People have been making grand leaps in logic that every time you take a hit that unsettles you it = concussion which = woozy. There is a lot more grey there.
Because it was reported as having been said. There was no grand leaps there, I never said concussed=woozy. I said he wasn't concussed, woozy, dizzy, on acid, or anything else like that.
It is amazing how this statement comes purely because this is a Calgary Flame hockey player. I guarantee if Wideman had been a Canuck instead of a Flame, most of the posts like the one I quoted would be commending the NHL on a job well done. You can say different but it is rather obvious.
Where do you get that idea?
I don't think that Yanek Weber hit (on the same linesman) would be worth 20 games either.
This is not wearing Flames coloured glasses. If I really believed Wideman deliberately attacked an official I'd want the book thrown at him. It simply wasn't the case though. Its really bad optics from one camera angle that have incriminated him.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
Can't say I disagree with the decision. It's a harsh punishment. I believe Wideman when he said it was an accident. But the video made it awfully hard to see it that way.
In the end, Wideman is responsible for his actions and the league has to protect it's officials. I think an appeal might results in a handful of games being removed, but I can't say I disagree with the NHL on this one.
Those of us (myself included) who were begging for Wideman to be taken out of the lineup finally get our wish. Let's hope the team can rally around this and we see some of the boys step up bigtime.
Too woozy to notice a ref until the last split second.
Conscious enough to be worried about too many men.
Come on now.
Clearly he had enough wits about him to get off the ice. He signals for a change so he knows a player is coming on for him. It doesn't matter if he bumps into a ref, a Flame, or a Predator he is getting off the ice.
So yeah, he had enough wits to be worried about a too many men penalty.
The only issue I see with this ruling is that Wideman just got plastered prior to the incident to it's impossible for anyone to know if he was in the right frame of mind. I assume the NHLPA will appeal and we will go from there. Regardless of how many games he misses you have to take the positives of the situation in that maybe a guy like Nakladal may get some ice time and if Russell is dealt at the deadline possibly another AHL call-up. Wideman was never going to be moved at the deadline so I don't believe this alters in any way the deadline for this team. If anything it's going to make things easier for Treliving as the team is likely going to be well out of contention and he can focus on supplementing the team's draft position.
Last edited by Erick Estrada; 02-03-2016 at 12:17 PM.
Jumps into the linesman before contact, follows through with both arms, and like Wideman shows no concern afterward for the linesman's health. 0 games.
No doubt Wideman's is worse, but how is that a 20-game difference in punishment.
The linesmen was to blame because he's facing the play (shoot be looking at the puck) and gets hit by a player chasing the puck. Wideman hit an unsuspecting linesman.
The question I have, is why the hell are there linesman with today's technology? These guys just get in the way. A sensor connected to a horn should be enough to create more space on the ice, which is good for players.
I don't think that Yanek Weber hit (on the same linesman) would be worth 20 games either.
This is not wearing Flames coloured glasses. If I really believed Wideman deliberately attacked an official I'd want the book thrown at him. It simply wasn't the case though. Its really bad optics from one camera angle that have incriminated him.
So you think through all of this the NHL looked at one camera angle? I don't think so.
I'm no criminal minds style profiler, but I don't really get the intentional angle either.
If he is of the mind to intentionally target a referee, why the linesman? Just because he is wearing stripes? Because Henderson represents the refereeing fraternity?
Or was it just a careless "I'm injured and need to get to the bench, get out of my way!"
I will be very interested to see how this incident will affect the attitude of the officials toward the Flames in general, going forward. Will the Flames start having lots of calls or non-calls unfairly go against them? I strongly suspect the answer to this question is "Yes" but we will will see. For this reason, if I was a Flames fan, I would be quite happy with the 20 game suspension....had Wideman gotten off scot free or lightly, you can bet the officials would have taken things out on the Flames with a vengeance. They may yet do so, but the 20 games might temper things a bit.
If they are unprofessional and corrupt then, yes, I think we could see that.
