WIDEMAN BAN A LESSON: OFFICIAL
Sheds light on referees’ struggles
Well, there had to be one person in Calgary. Turns out it was Bill Peters. “I can tell you with a straight face I haven’t seen the hit,” the Carolina Hurricanes coach said at the Saddledome on Wednesday, shortly after Dennis Wideman was pelted with a 20-game suspension by the National Hockey League. “But I’ll look at it at some point.” What Peters will eventually see is the Calgary Flames defender, chugging benchward, crank linesman Don Henderson from behind during the middle of last week’s game against the visiting Nashville Predators.
The sequence has been studied by most everybody in the hockey world — the video evidence garnering millions of views. And, undoubtedly, the nation’s thousands of hockey officials — referees and linesmen — have taken special notice.
The wish of at least one Calgary zebra shouldn’t surprise anyone.
“With the publicity this incident has, especially here in Calgary, the NHL has an opportunity to send a message that, regardless of circumstances, officials are a no-go zone,” said Craig DeCoursey, chairman of Central Zone Referees’ Committee one of six provincial districts supplying officials for Hockey Alberta.
“There’s no circumstance, if you do something to an official, that is justified. That’s where (the NHL) has an opportunity, in my view, to lead on this.”
Then Wideman’s 20-game sentence fits the bill?
Peters’s assessment: “A big number, I can tell you that. Especially since ... that would be two-thirds of the season remaining at a pivotal time of year. Yeah, a big number.”
Pending appeal filed by the NHLPA on Wideman’s behalf the sentence deprives the 32-year-old of $560,000 US in salary and the Flames of a seasoned blue-line presence.
Nevertheless, there is a bigger picture to consider although it would be wise to give the Flames a few days’ berth on this matter.
“There’s a chance to elevate this into a real positive story,” DeCoursey said.
“If the Flames and the NHL and Dennis Wideman would come and talk to officials, talk to teams, talk about the experience and really drive home that, while everyone’s going to disagree with the official’s call at some point in the game, we have to respect the call.
“This is an outstanding opportunity to really have a heartfelt discussion about that and raise the awareness and profile of the struggles that officials can go through on the ice. “It can be a lonely job.” DeCoursey knows. And, as someone who has been blowing a whistle for more than 30 years, including work at the junior and university levels, he is no stranger to regrettable on-ice scenes.
However, incidents like this, when an official is assaulted, are relatively rare for Hockey Alberta.
DeCoursey can bank on hearing about two dozen per winter.
“In the province, we’re responsible for 100,000 hockey games ... so 25 out of 100,000, that’s pretty minuscule,” he said. “For the last 15 or 20 years, it’s been very consistent — no uptick or downtick. And I would say, with the publicity of this incident, there’s an opportunity to maybe drive a downtick. “People will take notice.” DeCoursey’s perspective on last week’s ugliness is vastly different from most witnesses.
For starters, he refers to the second-period collision as “Don Henderson’s incident,” not the player’s.
In this case, he said, the linesman serves as an innocent bystander, Wideman as the negligent driver.
“It’s like going through an intersection,” DeCoursey said.
“If you don’t care that a policeman’s there, if you’re going to carry on and go through, you’re going pay whatever repercussions come with that ... like running a red light or speeding.
“You still have to pay the price for your actions ... and he hit Donnie pretty hard.”