Wideman Hit With Lawsuit

When individuals sign up to play, Coach/Manage and/or Officiate any sport it is done so first in the name of having fun with friends, school chums or work related individuals.

We play until the skill level begins to excel and some (not all) individuals advance to a level far beyond what others will ever achieve.

It’s about playing at a level where you can enjoy the game well playing under what I call the umbrella of safety which is all controlled by the officials working the game.

It’s not rocket science that not everyone will agree with the calls made by any official and that alone is only human nature while being competitive and putting winning above the game.

In my career as an official for various sports and not just hockey, I have seen individuals “flip out” at the turn of a whistle, some for no reasons other than debate the call(s) made at that specific moment.

We are all competitive and want to win, but not every game can have a winner, nor should they as it’s about playing, having fun and getting extra recreation while doing it.

Abuse runs wild at various levels of the game, but none more so than at the Pro level of the games we watch on TV.

The utter disrespect shown by players and continually watching the “Stations” show replays over and over sort of diminishes the nature of the game as we have come to know.

Last season January 27th/2016 we watched in utter shock as NHL Linesman Don Henderson was run over and shoved from behind by Flames player Dennis Wideman in a game against Nashville.

The league (NHL) initially handed a suspension to Wideman for 20 games that saw him serve 19 before an independent arbitrator retroactively cut the suspension in half thereby saving Wideman over $282,258 in salary.

Wideman was selected by the Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft in the eight round 241st overall, so he wasn’t  a top pick in the first round player.

Wideman initially claimed that he was “dazed” after being on the receiving end of a hit by Pred’s forward Miikka Salomaki, which many thought was a “ploy” for him to get out of his lengthy suspension.

In a televised game ironically the entire incident was caught on camera and about a week later Wideman apologized.

He stated “First thing I want to apologize to Donnie Henderson. I know I feel awful about what happened and hopefully he’s recovering and he’s gonna be back on the ice soon but I feel really bad about the whole situation. The last seven days have been tough.”

To the surprise of many the NHL began to investigate his motives by going through his personal text messages that were made up of the following messages, one which was sent to a teammate February 2nd.

It stated “The only problem and the only reason I’m here is cause the stupid refs and stupid media.”

Anyone that has attended an appeal meeting knows and should understand that the rules change when you move from a regular hearing to an appeal.

The relevant section of the CBA is Section 18.12 reads: “The Commissioner shall have the authority to consider any evidence relating to the incident even if such evidence was not available at the time of the initial Supplementary Discipline for On-Ice Conduct decision.”

To the shock of many they were surprised to hear that Wideman relinquished his phone to the NHL for their use which many are wondering why he did it in the  first place?

Next what would have happened to Wideman if he had refused to give up his phone to the NHL for the review or would that have been far worse for him?

Wideman may be a Canadian playing in Canada, but this is based in the U.S. under American Labor Law.

Because the CBA “allows the commissioner to consider any evidence,” it opens the door for serious problems if people refuse.

At the very least, the NHL or NHLPA could be accused of unfair labor practices.

Anyone that has been playing any sport knows and understands that Wideman knew exactly what he was doing when he pushed/shoved Henderson on that fateful night in Calgary.

For the record Henderson has officiated over 1,300 games since joining the NHL Officials Association in 1994 and is unable to officiate any further games.

Wideman got off easy and the suspension was light considering the NHL eventually fired the Arbitrator so that alone says something.

Pro sport won’t change the policy until someone actually dies while playing and in today’s world, Professional sport is “big business” and nothing else!

No one comes to the game to watch the officials work – well maybe the relatives, but that’s all!!

The sad part about the situation other than the injury was that the broadcast (play by play) mentioned first that “he’s going to be OK and the color person Kelly mentioned that he never even saw the linesman

It’s reported that he (Henderson) is seeking general damages of $200,000, special damages to pay for housekeeping, yard work and hospital expenses of $50,000, and damages for loss of income and future loss of income of $10 million.

The Flames are also listed as a defendant and according to his lawsuit, Henderson suffered injuries to his head, neck back, shoulder, and right knee.

He also (allegedly) suffered a concussion, pain, numbness and tingling in his right arm and hand, shock anxiety and depression, headaches and permanent and partial disability.

Say what you will but the only ones to change any game are the “Superstars” of the sport and until they change – neither will the game!!

Respect – Who has it – Who shows it?