The linesman knocked to the ice by Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman in January is still recovering from the concussion he suffered and is out for the season, according to the NHL Officials Association.
In a statement emailed to The Associated Press by a league spokesman Saturday morning, the NHLOA said it “strongly disagrees” with the decision by an independent arbitrator to reduce Wideman’s suspension from 20 games to 10. Arbitrator James Oldham made that ruling Friday.
“The message in reducing the suspension that is sent to NHL players, as well as athletes all over the world, including children, is that the code of conduct towards officials has changed,” the NHLOA said.
Wideman struck Don Henderson during the second period of a game against Nashville on Jan. 27. Both finished the game but were diagnosed with concussions.
“Both of them testified that they can remember almost nothing about what happened during the minutes immediately after their heads hit the glass or the boards,” Oldham wrote in his 18-page opinion.