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Linesman Henderson spent night in hospital after Wideman hit

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A curious development took place in Wednesday's game between the Predators and Flames when Dennis Wideman levels a lineman with a cross-check in the back as he's skating to the bench. Did he do it on purpose?

Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman knocking linesman Don Henderson to the ice during Wednesday’s game caused the official to be hospitalized until 5 am, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis.

Henderson went through the concussion protocol and was dealing with neck pains and nausea.

As you can see in the video above, Wideman was on his way back to his bench when he appeared to shove Henderson in the back. It is worth noting that Wideman had been hit awkwardly into the boards shortly before the incident with Henderson.

Wideman defended himself by saying, “I was just trying to get off the ice. And, at the last second, I looked up and saw him.”

Still, others like TSN’s Gary Lawless have argued that Wideman’s actions fall under rule 40.3, which would lead to him getting a 10-game suspension. Here’s an excerpt from his argument:

Officials in the field of play need to be protected. There can’t be any grey area here.

Wideman might be a good guy with a clean past. He might have been a little groggy from the hit he took in the corner. The first doesn’t matter and the second can’t be verified.

He didn’t just bump into Henderson. He put his hands on his back and shoved him to the ice.

Wideman wasn’t penalized as a result of the incident. As far as supplemental discipline goes, the NHL is expected to come to a decision today, per TSN’s Darren Dreger.