Tom Wilson hasn’t exactly become the NHL’s most well-liked player.
The Washington Capitals winger has made numerous questionable and outright dirty hits over his five-plus seasons in the NHL, and he added another to the list Friday night.
He was suspended 20 games entering the season for a stupid hit during a preseason game (seriously, he can’t help himself), but got it knocked down to a 14-game ban after he had served 16 games. But Friday, while playing in his ninth game of the season, Wilson was served a match penalty for a hit on New Jersey Devils forward Brett Seney.
Saturday morning it was reported Wilson wouldn’t be suspended further for the hit, which comes as a surprise given how quick the league is to punish repeat offenders for even slightly questionable hits.
Take a look:
At first, it certainly appears to be a hit right to the head. But if you look at it a few times, you’ll notice that he doesn’t make direct contact with the head. Still, he’s lost the privilege of the benefit of the doubt, which likely is why he was ejected from the game.
When the hit happened, however, former Bruins forward-turned SportsNet analyst Marc Savard — who had his career ended due to concussions, with a brutal hit from Pittsburgh Penguins enforcer Matt Cooke being the knock that ultimately ended his career — took to Twitter to shred Wilson for his antics.
Saturday morning, Savard doubled down on his take while replying to a comment.
Given Savard’s history and how his career ended, you can’t blame him for feeling the way he does about Wilson’s tomfoolery, even if Friday’s hit wasn’t deliberate or directly to the head.
