BLOG: Wideman thankful for Oilers opportunity

EDMONTON, AB - Sitting down for American Thanksgiving at a former teammate's house, newly-acquired Oiler Chris Wideman had barely washed his hands for dinner when the call came in.
The 28-year-old defenceman arrived at the house of Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop, his close friend and former Ottawa Senators teammate, for holiday dinner as a quick stop on Ottawa's current road trip.
Turkey wouldn't be on the menu, but Bishop was able to send him on his way with some leftover learnings for Wideman's first-ever trade in the NHL.
"I was just getting to Ben Bishop's house, a close friend of mine, to have Thanksgiving dinner with him and his wife before I got the call," Wideman, a member of the Senators organization for nine seasons, said. "It was my first trade and he's been traded four times, so he was walking me through everything."
The impact of being dealt on a holiday may have derailed dinner plans, but it gave Wideman extra time to prepare to meet up with his new teammates on their California road trip that continues tomorrow afternoon in Anaheim.
"I think thankfully it happened on Thanksgiving so I could wrap my head around being traded before it was all made public," he said. "I was trying to get organized and had to rush back to the hotel room, pack my things, then get in a car to the airport. It's been kind of a whirlwind, but definitely something I'm excited about and looking forward to."
"I spoke with [Oilers President of Hockey Operations and GM Peter Chiarelli] after the trade call went through and I expressed to him my excitement and thanked him for bringing me in and giving me this opportunity. It's a fresh start for me and something that I couldn't be more thankful for."