NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he was "troubled" by Dennis Wideman's "total failure to accept any responsibility for his actions" in a written ruling Wednesday upholding the 20-game suspension assessed to the Calgary Flames defenseman.
Related: NHL upholds Dennis Wideman's 20-game suspension
Bettman cited a text message Wideman sent to a teammate following his hearing with executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell on Feb. 2.
Wideman sent text msg to teammate on Feb. 2: "(t)he only problem and the only reason I'm here is cause the stupid refs and stupid media."
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 17, 2016
The 32-year-old was assessed the 20-game suspension on Feb. 3 for cross-checking linesman Don Henderson in a late January game. Wideman appealed the supplemental discipline at a hearing in New York on Feb. 10.
The NHLPA will file for independent arbitration, which would be a first under the most recent CBA, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
