Wideman excited to return to Sens

After a devastating hamstring injury caused Chris Wideman to miss the final 66 games of 2017-18, the 28 year-old defenceman has agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Senators and remains very excited about returning to the ice in Ottawa next season.

"I just keep going back to that original feeling I had after sustaining the injury and not many people go through a period like that where they really don't know what's going to happen," recalled Wideman. "There was a moment there where I didn't know if I was going to be able to recover fully or if I'd ever play again."
Following his surgery, doctors told Wideman that he would be able to make a 100% recovery but it was ultimately up to him to put in the work during rehab which was projected to take months.
"I take a lot of pride in how hard I worked and the positive attitude that I showed in the locker room when I wasn't able to play," Wideman said of watching from the sidelines last season. "I think that's a big reason why the Senators wanted to bring me back. They know that in times of adversity that I won't quit and I'll be able to overcome some difficult things."
Wideman's dedication to his recovery was one of the many factors that earned him his one-year, $1 million contract extension in Ottawa but Sens general manager Pierre Dorion made sure to also point out his on-ice contributions at the beginning of last season.
"We're happy to have Chris back for next season," said general manager Pierre Dorion in a news release announcing Wideman's extension on June 24th. "We felt that last year he was trending to become the active, puck-moving defenceman that will complement our style of play. We certainly missed Chris after his injury and he has since been cleared to resume full athletic competition with no restrictions."
Wideman had racked up 3 goals and 5 assists over the first 16 games in his third NHL season before suffering a torn hamstring on November 16th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This type of injury is fairly uncommon among hockey players but Wideman's commitment to his rehab almost had him back in the line-up at the end of the season.
"I think I probably could have played at the end of last year but it wasn't up to me. The doctor didn't clear me and without that there's just no way it could have happened," said Wideman. "Right now, I'm 100%. I finished my rehab during the first two months of the offseason at a clinic in Los Angeles. It was extremely intense and I'm very thankful that the Senators were able to help get me in there."
With his lengthy recovery process behind him, Wideman has recently regained some sense of normalcy as he's been able to resume his regular offseason training in preparation for Sens training camp in September.
"I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the league who is going into their fourth season that's as excited as I am," he said. "I think it's going to be a great year for me personally and I've trained really hard to recover from my injury to come back better than ever. I take a lot of pride in the work I've put in off the ice to return so I'm looking forward to camp starting in the fall."
Besides his standard training and skating sessions this summer, Wideman's offseason now includes a completely different on-ice venture as he's partnered up with his brother Alex, who appeared in games with the Senators' AHL and ECHL affiliates between 2014-16, to start a hockey school in their hometown of Brentwood, Missouri.
"I didn't realize how time consuming it would be when it came to the planning and organizing but it's been a really cool learning process," Wideman said about founding the Wideman Brothers Hockey School. "It's something that we both really enjoy doing and giving back to the local hockey community that did so much for us growing up. We've had a great response so far with registrations and we're really looking forward to working with the kids and sharing our knowledge."

The weeklong camp runs from July 30th to August 3rd at the Brentwood Ice Arena and there are still a few spots available (
click here
for registration info) as Chris and Alex look to share their professional experience with the next generation of St. Louis hockey players just like a pair of familiar fathers to some recent Senators' first round picks did before them.
"It's almost a little full circle," said Wideman. "When I was growing up, Logan Brown's dad and Brady Tkachuk's dad were always helping out with the kids in the community and I owe a lot to their fathers with what they were able to do with me growing up."
Better known as NHL veterans Jeff Brown and Keith Tkachuk, the duo skated in a combined 872 games for the Blues in their careers and have made an incredible impact on the game of hockey in St. Louis. Something that the Wideman brothers got to experience and benefit from firsthand.
"It's a tight-knit hockey community so without their dads, who were NHL players at the time, lending a hand and helping out I don't know if myself and the other players coming out of St. Louis would be in the position we are in today," shared Wideman. "It's really exciting to see other local products like Logan and Brady knocking on the door to the NHL and it'll be pretty cool to have a couple of kids from St. Louis playing in the NHL on the same team one day."
As Wideman gets set to make his contribution to youth hockey in St. Louis, his focus remains on rebounding next season with the Senators and leaving the 2017-18 season in the past.
"I still feel like I have a lot to prove in Ottawa," Wideman said. "I feel that I have more to give and at the start of last year I think I was on my way to showing what I can really do. So that's what I'm looking to do this year: I want to be a solid contributor for this team, be a really good teammate and be someone that can be relied upon on and off the ice."