Habs Defenseman Wideman Suspended A Game For Head-Butting Haula

The NHL Department of Player Safety has suspended Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman one game for head-butting Boston Bruins forward Erik Haula in the Bruins’ 5-1 win over the Habs on Wednesday.

Here’s the official press release from the league:

‘Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman has been suspended for one game, without pay, for head-butting Boston Bruins forward Erik Haula during NHL Game No. 1000 in Boston on Wednesday, Jan. 12, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 6:57 of the third period. Wideman was assessed a minor penalty for roughing as well as a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Wideman will forfeit $3,750.00. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

You can also view a video description from the NDPS here.

Here’s the video of the scrum that led to Wideman head-butting the Boston Bruins forward and the closeup of the head butt:

TNT NHL analyst Keith Jones blasted the Montreal Canadiens defenseman for his actions during the TNT broadcast.

“A dirty play; a cheap play. We’ll see if that’s suspendable. I don’t mind Haula getting in a shot there,” Jones said reacting to play-by-play.

The Boston Bruins had no comment on the head butt at Bruce Cassidy’s pre-game media availability Thursday morning prior to their game with the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden Thursday night. At that point, Wideman still hadn’t had his hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety.

As for the Montreal Canadiens’ reaction, Habs head coach Dominique Ducharme is scheduled to address the media at 6:15 PM ET at the United Center in Chicago prior to their game against the Blackhawks. Wideman will not play obviously and it was not yet known whether he would be available for comment following the Canadiens-Blackhawks game Thursday night.