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Burnside: League stands up for officials with Wideman suspension

Faced with an almost impossible task in trying to determine what to do with Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman after he ploughed into unsuspecting linesman Don Henderson a week ago, the NHL came as close to a perfect resolution as could be expected.

That doesn't mean the whopper 20-game suspension -- handed down after a lengthy in-person hearing with both Wideman and Henderson -- won't be the subject of much debate and caterwauling.

Indeed, within seconds of the suspension breaking, Twitter was afire with howls that Wideman got off easy or was the subject of far too severe a penalty.