Liz Mullen from the Sports Business Journal tweets today that the NHL has dismissed Neutral Discipline Arbitrator James Oldham.
Oldham, who also does work with Major League Baseball and the NFL, and teaches as Georgetown Law School, was responsible for the reduction in Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman’s suspension from 20 games to 10. While there could be any number of reasons for the dismissal, the NHL was dealt a serious blow when Wideman, who had served most of his suspension by the time the ruling came in, was granted relative leniency for hitting an on-ice official, and there will certainly be speculation regarding the league’s motives.