Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts28. The final phase of Dennis Wideman’s suspension process, a hearing before an independent arbitrator, will be heard in the next 24-48 hours.
Both he NHL and the NHLPA have the opportunity to present new evidence and new witnesses, and both sides have been building to this point. So far, the NHL has rejected one of the union’s key strategies, that Wideman’s injury meant he didn’t deserve any suspension at all. (The league has made it very clear it does not believe this was a concussion.)
It will be interesting to see if the NHLPA continues in this vein. The way the CBA is written, if the arbitrator agrees the commissioner had “substantial evidence” to hand down a 20-game suspension, Gary Bettman’s ruling won’t be overturned. One lawyer said he would argue for a lower suspension, maybe 10 games, than zero. It might be easier to argue for a lesser punishment than none at all, and Wideman might get some money back. We’ll see if that’s what they try.
Remember, the NHLPA decides on appeals more than the individual player does. It’s their call on whether or not they can win, and have been eager to challenge this ruling from the beginning. We’re also going to see if anyone else is the owner of potentially embarrassing text messages.
The league and players also need to shorten the hearing and appeals process. It’s ridiculous.
29. Another angle to this story: will Don Henderson, the linesman involved, work another NHL game? He’ll be 48 in September, and reportedly is dealing with a concussion from the collision.
Henderson is not one of the officials expected to retire this season, but it’s been discussed before.
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