from the rule book:
40.3 Automatic Suspension – Category II – Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official in any manner (excluding actions as set out in Category I), which physical force is applied without intent to injure, or who spits on an official, shall be automatically suspended for not less than ten (10) games.
this is for an act deemed "without intent to injure" - i'mjustafan
This is a weird scenario to say the least, but in fairness, the linesman was skating in Wideman's direction and and although skating backwards, he also ran into Wideman. I've seen all the comments about his head being up, but there's doesn't seem to be video of his face to see where his eyes were looking. If he was looking down, which it seems may have been the case, and he was startled , as it appears based on the quick shift he made with his feet to try and go around, then putting his hands out to protect himself is hardly " applying physical force" in the wording of the rule. That would be equivalent to a player who was already on the ice, putting their hands up to protect the self from a linesman falling on them.
We've all seen how the Yakupov injury happened. A linesman "applied physical force" to a player and the player was injured. That was an accident that happened during the course of a game in a unique situation that was odd and almost inexplicable, but it was an accident.
I also find it interesting that the league isn't looking into Lucic for punching a linesman the other night in the scrum in front of the net. He was clearly trying to push someone in the face, and missed the opposing player and caught the linesman instead. That was clearly not an accidental action. It was poorly executed , because he missed his intended target, but what's most glaring is that less that a week prior to the incident, he was suspended for a game because he sucker punched someone in a scrum at the net? That's someone who learner exactly NOTHING from his one game suspension. The VERY thing he was just punished for, is the thing he went out and repeated, which lead to punching an official in the face. WTF!!??!!
stop with this non-sense. He hit an official from behind, showed ZERO remorse as he did not look back at the official after it happened. Get over it. He will be suspended and whatever he gets, will be more than deserving as it was a bonehead play. Imagine if every player who got his bell rung got up and hit an official, yet we just deemed them "not in the right state of mind". - Codes1087
He went over and apologizes to him during the next stoppage I believe ... I think the officials were even laughing about it too
The thing is that there was no need to take him out ...this was a nothing play which not even the officials cared about ...it wasn't until social medial got a hold of it that it blew up into this poop storm ...the guy made a last second reactionary move the looks ten times worse that it actually is and will be penalized harshly for fear of what the Twitter universe and mainstream media will say if he isn't ...End of story - Redmile247
Pierre is probably the biggest idiot out there ...it's no wonder American TV ratings aren't ever high ...who would want to listen to this ass clown for 3 hours if they don't have to - Redmile247
With all due respect, Eric Francis is a much bigger idiot. He has Wideman banging his stick on the ice in anger as he's moving in on the Linesman....rather than signalling to the bench that he's coming off.
He went over and apologizes to him during the next stoppage I believe ... I think the officials were even laughing about it too - Redmile247
Totally was a good move to go apologize and I get that. After he makes contact with the ref though, he doesn't turn back to look at the ref or look at him after he sits on the bench. The league has said that it will factor into the length of the suspension. I don't think Wideman is a dirty player, or has a bad history even, but I think he made a mistake and will pay for it and I think its deserving.
5 games seems fair. He is not a dirty player and although the hit does look bad, we need to consider that he had just been hit and he may have been a tad confused.
Location: The Island of Falling Bridges, QC Joined: 08.09.2010
Feb 2 @ 1:21 PM ET
Dennis Wideman doesn't have any kind of reputation for dirtyness or crazy behavior, so I think he has earned the right to be taken at his word when he says it was an accident. - James Tanner
So the "equipment incident" when he gave the finger to the Montréal crowd, that doesn't count as crazy or dirty behavior? Sure, it's not a hit, but it clearly shows the guy can be disrespectful and full of poop in his explainations...
So the "equipment incident" when he gave the finger to the Montréal crowd, that doesn't count as crazy or dirty behavior? Sure, it's not a hit, but it clearly shows the guy can be disrespectful and full of poop in his explainations... - YodaOldBoy
So the "equipment incident" when he gave the finger to the Montréal crowd, that doesn't count as crazy or dirty behavior? Sure, it's not a hit, but it clearly shows the guy can be disrespectful and full of poop in his explainations... - YodaOldBoy
So the "equipment incident" when he gave the finger to the Montréal crowd, that doesn't count as crazy or dirty behavior? Sure, it's not a hit, but it clearly shows the guy can be disrespectful and full of poop in his explainations... - YodaOldBoy
from the rule book:
40.3 Automatic Suspension – Category II – Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official in any manner (excluding actions as set out in Category I), which physical force is applied without intent to injure, or who spits on an official, shall be automatically suspended for not less than ten (10) games.
this is for an act deemed "without intent to injure" - i'mjustafan
none of this crap matters since the ref didn't give him a misconduct...and before someone says ZOMG they didn't see it, they are allowed to review plays like this after the game and give the misconduct. They didn't because it was a non-issue until social media went apepoop and the union got involved.
