Canadiens' Chris Wideman To Have Hearing

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman is set to have a hearing with NHL Player Safety for his headbutt on Boston Bruins forward Erik Haula.

When looking at how blatant Wideman's headbutt was, it isn't surprising to see that the 32-year-old has a date with NHL Player Safety. It wasn't necessarily the most vicious of headbutts, but it still was a dirty play and resulted in Haula's face bleeding following it.

When looking at comparable instances, there is one from this season that comes to mind. St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich received a two-game suspension for headbutting Arizona Coyotes winger Lawson Crouse back in November. In a similar fashion, it occurred when the two players got into a scrum after the whistle. Perhaps Wideman will end up getting the same penalty from NHL Player Safety.

Wideman isn't known for being a dirty player, so it's fair to say that his actions were out of character. However, it's been a frustrating season for Montreal, and they were getting blown out yet at that point of the contest. Still, that doesn't excuse the headbutt.

In 23 games this season, Wideman has two goals, seven assists, and a minus-7 rating.