My view on the Wideman hit is simply this: thank the lord it is not soccer. If it had have been, he would have been squirming and fainting and feinting and rolling around and faking death for a North Dakota mile. There would have been stretchers, imperious bald twits rocketing up their arms and flashing 2X2 colour-coded cards and blowing whistles like Count Basie until they got paid off by international mafia and soccer "diplomats" and Vegas mobs and Mexican cartels.
Wideman got hit hard, and he was stunned, but like a man and a professional athlete, he got up and tried to get to the bench. He banged his stick on the ice to let the bench know to get another man on. He saw the open door to the bench where he could sit down and gather himself.
But then he also probably saw a penguin, who was starting to skate backwards aggressively to follow the play that was way in front of Wideman and had nothing to do with him.
Wideman was pissed off and hurt (maybe he thought a penalty could have been called on the hit on him, but I doubt that went through his mind all that much--he got hit, hard, and he was going to the bench, instead of spasming on the ice like a soccer actor). Now, if you've ever played the game, you know this--you never touch a ref. Fine. But also, if you've ever played the game, you know that rule #1 for officials is to get the hell out of the way of players. Nothing angers a player more than an official obstructing play. Officials know this--they do everything in their power to stay out of the way. Wideman was hurt and wanted to get to the box, Henderson was following the play and starting to back up fairly quickly; the box was open, Henderson was in the way.
No, I have not watched the hit a 1000 times. No. I thought I saw a get-out-of-jail-free card for Wideman when I saw Henderson start to back up and shift into a fairly clear and coming backup mode, as though to go back down the ice from which Wideman had come from. Wideman, just trying to get off to that open door, would have seen that, too, and been angered that the official didn't see him. So Wideman let him know, told him to do his job, look around, and get out of the way of an open bench door (why didn't Henderson take any note of that??).
Wideman gets suspended; I get it. It's a hit from behind, and even if you're punch-drunk, that's not an excuse. Even if you're not in you're right mind or aggrieved or concussed, that's not an excuse. As Peter Loubardias hilariously tried to analogise: "hey, if I hit a guy from behind in my car, I didn't really mean it, right?" Uh, no, Peter. The world is a tiny bit more complex than that.
I just hope that there will be a bit of reflection on this also on the officials. When the bench door is open and play is on and one player is clearly lagging down the ice and play is in another zone and one team is down by one man, then officials better get it in their rule books that they have to look around. There are 10 moving players on the ice, and 4 officials--that's a pretty good ratio for knowing what's going on, from a rules standpoint. That is what refs have to do--that's their job. So I say no get-out-of-jail-free card for Henderson or other officials. You have to keep you eyes on the ice. It's like Don said, keep your head up, kid, or you'll get hurt. If officials can't look around and do their jobs, then they might get hit, too, just like a player.
No exoneration suggested for Wideman, also no berth given for inane suggestions such as Elliotte Friedman's Old Testament notion that it's an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. By Friedman's standards, then, I guess that means Wideman should spend a pampered night in a private hospital room no taxpayer will ever see (but will pay for). Curious logic from one untutored in thought, but steeped in celebrity.
I say 2-5 games, max. This was not a repeat offender. This was not a guy slugging a linesman trying to break up a fight. This was not a guy going mad dog.
And I actually really find Wideman to be a disappointing underachiever. On some teams, he could be brilliant, and he has been before, but he's been another of Brad Treliving's trademark and by now league-wide famous anchor cap-jail contracts. The word is out, the agents know, and the GMs know--need a monster contract for a "big body" Brian Burke will approve? Go to Brad. Brad is DISmissed from the den if he can't come with the cash for a hand-less hit-less "big body" like Joe Colborne or Dougie Hamilton Burkie likes. Brad needs to read Sophocles again; it's not about being castrated by your father, really it isn't. Really Brad--it's more of a succession thing.
--zr
Wideman got hit hard, and he was stunned, but like a man and a professional athlete, he got up and tried to get to the bench. He banged his stick on the ice to let the bench know to get another man on. He saw the open door to the bench where he could sit down and gather himself.
But then he also probably saw a penguin, who was starting to skate backwards aggressively to follow the play that was way in front of Wideman and had nothing to do with him.
Wideman was pissed off and hurt (maybe he thought a penalty could have been called on the hit on him, but I doubt that went through his mind all that much--he got hit, hard, and he was going to the bench, instead of spasming on the ice like a soccer actor). Now, if you've ever played the game, you know this--you never touch a ref. Fine. But also, if you've ever played the game, you know that rule #1 for officials is to get the hell out of the way of players. Nothing angers a player more than an official obstructing play. Officials know this--they do everything in their power to stay out of the way. Wideman was hurt and wanted to get to the box, Henderson was following the play and starting to back up fairly quickly; the box was open, Henderson was in the way.
No, I have not watched the hit a 1000 times. No. I thought I saw a get-out-of-jail-free card for Wideman when I saw Henderson start to back up and shift into a fairly clear and coming backup mode, as though to go back down the ice from which Wideman had come from. Wideman, just trying to get off to that open door, would have seen that, too, and been angered that the official didn't see him. So Wideman let him know, told him to do his job, look around, and get out of the way of an open bench door (why didn't Henderson take any note of that??).
Wideman gets suspended; I get it. It's a hit from behind, and even if you're punch-drunk, that's not an excuse. Even if you're not in you're right mind or aggrieved or concussed, that's not an excuse. As Peter Loubardias hilariously tried to analogise: "hey, if I hit a guy from behind in my car, I didn't really mean it, right?" Uh, no, Peter. The world is a tiny bit more complex than that.
I just hope that there will be a bit of reflection on this also on the officials. When the bench door is open and play is on and one player is clearly lagging down the ice and play is in another zone and one team is down by one man, then officials better get it in their rule books that they have to look around. There are 10 moving players on the ice, and 4 officials--that's a pretty good ratio for knowing what's going on, from a rules standpoint. That is what refs have to do--that's their job. So I say no get-out-of-jail-free card for Henderson or other officials. You have to keep you eyes on the ice. It's like Don said, keep your head up, kid, or you'll get hurt. If officials can't look around and do their jobs, then they might get hit, too, just like a player.
No exoneration suggested for Wideman, also no berth given for inane suggestions such as Elliotte Friedman's Old Testament notion that it's an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. By Friedman's standards, then, I guess that means Wideman should spend a pampered night in a private hospital room no taxpayer will ever see (but will pay for). Curious logic from one untutored in thought, but steeped in celebrity.
I say 2-5 games, max. This was not a repeat offender. This was not a guy slugging a linesman trying to break up a fight. This was not a guy going mad dog.
And I actually really find Wideman to be a disappointing underachiever. On some teams, he could be brilliant, and he has been before, but he's been another of Brad Treliving's trademark and by now league-wide famous anchor cap-jail contracts. The word is out, the agents know, and the GMs know--need a monster contract for a "big body" Brian Burke will approve? Go to Brad. Brad is DISmissed from the den if he can't come with the cash for a hand-less hit-less "big body" like Joe Colborne or Dougie Hamilton Burkie likes. Brad needs to read Sophocles again; it's not about being castrated by your father, really it isn't. Really Brad--it's more of a succession thing.
--zr
