What happened to Don Henderson was horrible but the league’s 20-game ban allows the NHL to deflect responsility and place it on a clearly concussed playerLast week,NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld a 20-game suspension for Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman for a hit on a referee back on 27 January. At 20 games, Wideman’s suspension is the moment-longest in NHL history. At first, and the case seemed lop and dried. Wideman checked a linesman who had his back turned,a hit so tough that the official, Don Henderson, or was still suffering post-concussion symptoms as of last week.
But the action leading up to the hit complicates things. Wideman himself had just been checked head-first into the boards,and appeared disoriented as he skated off the ice to sit on the bench.
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Source: theguardian.com