NHL Player Dennis Wideman Appears to Knock Down a Linesman on Purpose, Claims It Was Accidental

The NHL is going to have to make a tough decision here.

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Did Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman intentionally run into a linesman and cross-check him during a game against the Nashville Predators last night? It certainly looks like it. In the clip above, you can see Wideman skate into linesman Don Henderson’s direction and then knock him to the ground. He doesn’t stop after he hits him, and the entire Predators bench erupts like, “WTF just happened?!”

But despite the video evidence, Wideman is claiming that he didn’t run into the ref on purpose. He spoke with reporters after the game and went as far as to say that he’s already apologized for the accident.

“Throughout my career—I’ve been around for a few years—I think I’ve treated every official with the utmost respect," he said. "I would never intentionally try to hit a linesman or a ref or anything like that. It was completely unintentional, and I already apologized to him.”

It’s worth noting that Wideman did get slammed into the boards just seconds before running into the ref:

So maybe that would explain why he ran into him instead of simply skating around him? Whatever the case, the NHL is going to have to review this, and they’re going to have to make a tough decision with regards to whether or not to fine/suspend Wideman.

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[via Calgary Herald]

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