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Canada’s Tom Wilson shunned tradition on Sunday, deciding to fight during his team’s victory over France in their Olympic ice hockey game.
While fighting is a regular – and tacitly accepted – part of professional ice hockey, it rarely occurs on the Olympic stage. But Wilson dropped the gloves late in Canada’s 10-2 rout of France on Sunday, tangling with Pierre Crinon, who had delivered a forearm to the head of teammate Nathan MacKinnon minutes earlier.
“Obviously fighting isn’t a big thing in this tournament, but when a guy takes a run at one of our big guys, that’s what Willy does,” three-time Olympian Drew Doughty said. “I mean, he does a lot more than that, but it was great to see him step up.”
Crinon was given a two-minute minor penalty and apologized to MacKinnon after the hit in the third period. Scoring 25 seconds into the ensuing power play was not good enough punishment in the eyes of Canada’s players.
“We didn’t like the hit: felt like it was late and high,” the tournament’s leading scorer, Connor McDavid, said. “Willy just finishes a check and the guy jumps him, and Willy’s just protecting himself. That’s all he can do. That’s the type of guy he is, type of teammate he is. Nothing but respect for him.”
Unlike the NHL, which assesses a five-minute major penalty for a fight, the International Ice Hockey Federation classifies it as a game misconduct, so Wilson and Crinon were ejected. The outcome of the game had already been effectively settled by the dominant Canadians, and Wilson only missed the final seven minutes.
“We’re used to a lot more than that happening, so it was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Sticking up for his teammates, that’s an easy one for him.”
Wilson also had a goal and an assist, along with the fight giving him what is known in hockey as a “Gordie Howe hat-trick.”
The 31-year-old winger is one of just a few new players for Canada who did not play at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago, when there were three fights in the first nine seconds of the team’s first game against the US.
MacKinnon, who was slow to get up and spent some time on the bench before returning, appreciated Wilson standing up for him.
“That guy obviously didn’t want to fight Tom,” MacKinnon said. “He just wanted to wrestle. I wouldn’t want to fight Tom either.”
Wilson, who is 6ft 4in and 220lbs, was a no-doubt pick for his physicality and ability to retrieve pucks, along with producing at a high level back in North America with the Washington Capitals. He is their leading scorer with 49 points in 50 games this season.
“We know Willy’s got our backs,” Bennett said. “He’s going to protect all our guys and bring the energy. We love that from Willy. He’s going to do anything for our team.”
Canada’s goaltender Jordan Binnington, who is known for his physical player, also approved. “I definitely wasn’t surprised,” Binnington said. “That’s hockey, right? That’s hockey.”
