Or about a few other spots along the way where others thought his hopes of playing in the National Hockey League were a ridiculous dream.
“I’m not blessed with the size (5-10, 180 pounds) and the skill of most guys,” Wideman said after his NHL debut for the Senators in the 4-3 shootout loss to Nashville.
It has been a fairly quiet training camp for Wideman, who appears on the cusp of landing an NHL job for the first time in his career by taking the spot left open by Chris Phillips. Phillips suffered a cracked vertebra during rehabilitation over the summer following back surgery.
Interestingly, Wideman was alongside Mark Borowiecki in a third pairing while the fourth pair was composed of Jared Cowen and Michael Kostka. Erik Karlsson-Marc Methot and Patrick Wiercioch-Cody Ceci were the first and second pairings, familiar from last season.
Wideman, the Ottawa Senators’ 25-year-old defence prospect, has a tad more life experience than 23-year-old Mark Stone and 20-year-old Curtis Lazar. He jokes that “I’m the babysitter, I make sure everyone is tucked in early.”
The Ottawa Senators announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Chris Wideman on a one-year, two-way contract. The contract will carry an annual value of $600,000 in the National Hockey League and of $400,000 in the American Hockey League.
Earlier this month Ottawa Senators’ prospect Chris Wideman won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman. Yet, despite an incredibly successful season in Binghamton, Wideman is most likely leaving the Senators’ organization come July 1st.
Chris Wideman and the rest of the Senators scratches left the Bell Centre ice at the end of their morning skate and found the dressing room overflowing with members of the media.
Chris Wideman had many highlights in his 2014-15 season, including being named the Eddie Shore Award recipient as the American Hockey League’s outstanding defenseman, and representing the Eastern Conference in the AHL All-Star Game. But one of the biggest moments came at the end of the year when his younger brother, Alex Wideman, joined him as a teammate.
The American Hockey League announced today that Chris Wideman of the Binghamton Senators has been voted the winner of the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s outstanding defenseman for the 2014-15 season. The award is voted on by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 30 cities.
Binghamton defenseman Chris Wideman was named an American Hockey League First-Team All-Star and forward Shane Prince was named to the second team, the league announced on Thursday.
