You can’t blame Chris Wideman for a lack of modesty.
In his second season with the Montreal Canadiens, 2022–2023, the 33-year-old defenseman played 46 games. He had six assists and 81 penalty minutes. The National Hockey League (NHL) may be the crème de la crème of hockey players in the world, but according to the St. Louis native, it’s just plain bad.
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As such, Wideman was self-deprecating when he appeared on The Cam & Strick Podcast on Tuesday.
“My wife gets messages on social media like, ‘Your husband is freaking bad!’ Do you think we don’t know yet? I’ve been getting minimum wage in this league for 10 years. Do you think I don’t know that I’m bad?
Defending the Ottawa Senators’ fourth-round pick in 2009, he still played 291 games at the Bettman circuit. His NHL contracts also earned him more than $5.3 million, according to CapFriendly.
Aside from his skills on the ice – and his reputation as a powerplay specialist, the relevance of which is questionable – Wideman is a valued member of the dressing room and one of Cole Caufield’s best friends on the team, as evidenced by many of their many moments of complicity on social media.
Inspired by “Trainer” St-Louis
Wideman also highlighted the immediate impact Martin St-Louis had on the Habs when he joined the team on February 9, 2022.
He also called the Quebec pilot’s first speech one of the “coolest” moments of his career.
“Someone called me the day before and said Martin St-Louis would be our new head coach,” Wideman said. I replied, “Really? What is his experience? He ruled over children?” We thought that was interesting. He’s one of the players I loved to see when I was young.
“The speech he gave united a group that seemed so depressed they were lost. I will never forget him. I can’t share in detail what he said, but the fact that our device manager [Pierre Gervais]who had been there for over 30 years said it was the best speech he had heard in his life says a lot.”
Wideman comes from a rather atypical background, having played one season in the Continental Hockey League and several seasons in the American League. He was fascinated by the baggage of St-Louis, whose tenacity and resilience allowed him to climb the corporate ladder.
“He looked at us in the dressing room and told us he had been in each of our shoes. He told us: “I was a minor league player. A guy who fought for his position in the NHL. I was a regular, a Stanley Cup winner and a star player.
Wideman will have at least one more season under St. Louis advice as he has a contract with the Habs until 2024.