Signs Dennis Wideman may receive a harsh punishment for his hit on an official.

There are a lot of people working against him behind the scenes.

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HockeyFeed
Published 8 years ago
Signs Dennis Wideman may receive a harsh punishment for his hit on an official.

By all accounts Calgary Flames forward Dennis Wideman is set to meet with the NHL this afternoon at 2:30 pm EST to discuss his hit on official Don Henderson. However Wideman may not have any chance of walking away from this unscathed according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

From Friedman's report:

As is normal, the NHLPA will represent Wideman, arguing for as low a number as possible. (The Flames will defend him too, adding a storyline we will discuss shortly.) What makes this situation different is the inclusion of the Officials’ Association. It’s a powerful group, and it will push for harsh justice.

It might be worse than just applying political pressure, in his report Friedman cites a quote reported by Sportsnet's Mark Spector, and that quote indicates a lack of severe punishment for Wideman could lead to a revolt from NHL officials.

“Whether they work to rule, call everything the first night back, or call nothing, if the perception is that the game doesn’t have Don Henderson’s back the zebras will make it clear — for a period of time — that they don’t have the game’s back either,” he wrote.

That threat may very well force the NHL's hand on this matter, even if they do believe, as many do, that Wideman did not intentionally strike Henderson, according to Friedman a show of discontent from officials could cause serious damage to the integrity to the game.

That would be a horrendous, stupendous mistake. Imagine if you have nothing to do with Dennis Wideman and your playoff chances are damaged by this kind of reaction. There would be repercussions. No choice.

The odds appear to be stacked against Wideman heading into his hearing lter today.

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