- Tom Wilson handed Nikita Zadorov’s stick back after the two tangled up in Friday’s Capitals-Bruins preseason finale
- The gesture stood out for a player who leads all active NHLers in career penalty minutes
- Read below for the video and what’s next for Washington
Tom Wilson did something nobody expected Friday night.
The Capitals winger tangled with Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov during the second period of Washington’s preseason finale at Capital One Arena. Zadorov lost his stick in the collision along the boards. Wilson skated it right back to him instead of keeping it or tossing it aside.
Watch the moment:
It’s not the reaction anyone expects from Wilson. He’s the NHL’s active leader in penalty minutes with 1,649 for his career, and he’s spent more than a decade as one of the most disliked players in the league.
He’s also given opponents a heads-up before delivering his biggest hits, a wrinkle that doesn’t fit the tough-guy image either. Friday’s clip fits the same pattern, a guy known for the brutal stuff choosing to be decent when nobody’s making him.
Zadorov didn’t make a scene about it. The Bruins defenseman signed a six-year, $5 million-a-year deal with Boston this offseason, brought in for exactly the identity he showed on that play, heavy and physical along the boards. He skated off with his stick Friday and kept playing like nothing happened.
Washington closes out the preseason Saturday against the Flyers before opening the regular season on the road. Nobody’s betting the stick-return becomes a weekly habit once real points are on the line.
