When Dennis Wideman crosschecked linesman Don Henderson in the Flames' final game before the All-Star break, it almost seemed like an afterthought that it had even happened. There was no immediate reaction to it at all. Wideman wasn't penalized, and he wasn't removed from the game, whether by means of game misconduct or a simple check to make sure that everything was okay upstairs.
Because players never check linesmen. Not the way Wideman did. An accidental collision is one thing; raising your stick to nail an official in the back and send him to the ice for whatever reason - if there even was one - is something else entirely, and something you aren't going to escape punishment on.