I gotta say, the video of Wideman sure looks damning. The ref is in his vision for a long time before he gives him a serious shove. And not just a "Oh I didn't see you" shove, a "Get the F out of my way" shove.
This assumes he is looking where you think he is. He could be looking in the second row over the bench in that angle and see nothing. Just because your head is pointed in a general direction means nothing in terms of focusing in on it. He is heading off ice after getting run himself.
Wideman's claim is he didn't mean to do it, didn't see him. He doesn't accelerate into it. Doesn't widen his legs for an intentional hit. He doesn't actually drive down at all as many keep claiming his stick is frozen in that position above his shoulders. He does pause but he is making a line change and as a 10+ year veteran knows to get off the ice. He apologized on ice for incident telling the ref he was sorry and didn't see him. Something actually the entire referee group obviously bought on ice, because he was not ejected. Also like I said keep in mind we have a long history of Dennis Wideman in this league is he this type of guy at all? If he had completely lost it wouldn't he take a couple strides really extend his arms and go to town?
I mean after all that really it doesn't matter how you see the hit for me. He has explained it as an accident and apologized to the linesman. Now if the league wants to claim he is a liar they better have something to do just that. A statement right before he ran him, players yelling as you will notice the Preds that he falls in front of seemed stunned he is in the vicinity as well. A lot of crap happens at the bench in terms of collisions or otherwise you have gone from an intense exertion of energy mentally and physically to okay gear down and recharge for the minute and a half before you are back out there.
I just don't see the evidence he has intentionally done this. Does it look bad? Sure. But so did the Weber incident on this very linesman. Cannot make the leap with a lot of people here without knowing he was warned by the bench, the linesman was announcing his presence or something was said by Wideman to remove that. Absent of that you cannot take a million bucks away from a guy and sit him indefinitely. Because if I am Wideman and you do that, well I will see you in court, because the well we think he is lying thing doesn't work out all that well in court generally.