Former Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman announced his retirement yesterday.
A fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators (100th overall) at the 2009 draft, Chris Wideman had to wait until the 2015-16 season to make his NHL debut. He spent three years in the AHL with the Binghampton Senators (and five games in the ECHL) being named an alternate captain for the last two.
With Ottawa, he played 175 games across four seasons, picking up 43 points in the process. He was then traded to the Edmonton Oilers in November of the 2018-19 season after being caught up in the Uber taping scandal, a video featuring him and six teammates ranting about an assistant coach and the special teams struggles. He was flipped to the Florida Panthers a month later, also spending a bit of time in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization during that same season. He then signed with the Anaheim Ducks as a free agent prior to the 2019-20 season and spent the whole year with their AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls.
Unable to find a contract for the following season, he inked a one-year deal with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL. In Russia he put up 41 points in 59 games, catching the eye of the Montreal Canadiens organization. In his first season he put up 27 points in 64 game, earning himself a two-year extension.
He only played in one of the two season however suffering from back issues. He featured in 110 games with the Habs gathering 33 points along the way. When he was signed to his two-year extension he was signing to be the big brother of the young defensemen and was happy to play the role, even if it meant being the team's seventh defenseman.
When the Canadiens drafted Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick at the 2022 draft, the veteran immediately volunteered to give his number 20 to the youngster and changed his number to the six left vacant by Shea Weber's retirement (in all but name) from the game.
The announcement of his retirement came as no surprise, since he didn't play a single game last season. In a statement published yesterday he said: "After much thought, I have decided it is best for my health and my family to retire from playing hockey professionally. I made numerous attempts at rehabilitation, therapy and many different treatments, but eventually it became apparent that returning to the game I love would not be possible." Later in the statement he added:
Wideman was loved in the Canadiens' dressing room and was a great teammate throughout his stay in Montreal.
