Tom Wilson’s stick swing on Noah Gregor Wednesday night might prove costly.
Hockey fans are calling for the 29-year-old Wilson to be suspended following a vicious high-stick incident at Capital One Arena on Wednesday night. The incident occurred during the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs game on TNT.
During the third period, Wilson viciously swung his stick and caught Leafs’ forward Gregor in the face. While Wilson immediately apologized, Gregor was left bleeding and in serious pain. Wilson received a four-minute double minor for high sticking on the play.
You can watch Wilson’s slash on Gregor here:
Tom Wilson is assessed a double-minor after this high-stick on Noah Gregor. pic.twitter.com/s16wPLfhEq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2024
Video
Here’s one more angle that shows how truly reckless the stick swing was:
Tom Wilson with the mother of all high sticks 😳 pic.twitter.com/0vyyK2dbyV
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 21, 2024
Wilson, known for his controversial style of play, has a lengthy history of suspensions and fines from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Throughout his career, the power forward has been suspended five times and fined an additional three times for various infractions, including illegal head hits and boarding.
Wilson’s most notable suspension came in 2018 when he was banned 20 games for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. The suspension was later reduced to 14 games upon appeal
In the aftermath of the high stick on Gregor, many fans and pundits are calling for the NHL to suspend Wilson once again. “Throw the book at Wilson, right?, tweeted NHL analyst Nick Alberga.
Throw the book at Wilson, right? pic.twitter.com/yeqXuEuevB
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) March 21, 2024
As the NHL reviews the incident, it remains to be seen whether Wilson will face any additional disciplinary action. Washington’s next game is Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes on home ice.
It’s odd that Wilson apologized immediately after, which might have saved him from a lengthy suspension. It appears Wilson let his intrusive thoughts win before his brain fully reacted to what he was doing.
The Capitals, currently fighting for a playoff spot, can ill afford to lose their top-line forward for an extended period.
