ESPN.com · Feb 17, 2016
Bettman upholds Wideman's 20-game suspension
NEW YORK _ Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld Dennis Wideman's 20-game suspension in a ruling released Wednesday, following the defenseman's appeal last week, but a reduction could potentially be in store.
It's up to Wideman now via the NHL Players' Association to decide whether to further appeal the suspension to a neutral arbitrator, James Oldham.
If they do decide to proceed, it would be the first time under the new collective bargaining agreement that a player went this far with the appeal process.
The league originally suspended the Calgary Flames veteran 20 games for his hit on linesman Don Henderson in a game against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 27.