Tom Wilson is easily one of the most polarizing players in the NHL. The Washington Capitals forward has the enviable mixture of being able to produce offensively while also being able to throw his weight around.
The problem is, he doesn’t always do so legally.
Tom Wilson has been suspended four times over a span of 105 games played, which is pretty ridiculous. Strangely, three of these suspensions have come during preseason games against the St. Louis Blues. On top of the suspensions, he has delivered a lot of hits that most hockey fans consider to be “walking on the edge” of illegal or suspension-worthy.
The latest 20-game suspension for a hit on Oskar Sundqvist, which was since reduced to 14 games, seems to have gotten through to Wilson. In an “honest talk”, Wilson explained that he does not throw some hits in fear of it being deemed illegal. He seems confused as to what exactly is legal and what is not.
On top of that, Wilson is using an interesting tactic in hopes of minimizing suspensions – he will not play against the Blues during preseason games.
Apparently he sees playing the Blues as some sort of bad luck omen, or possibly he just thinks the this particular team doesn’t know how to take a hit properly. Either way, it’s nice to hear that Wilson is trying to avoid illegal hits.
In case you’re wondering, the Caps and Blues are playing tonight (Thursday, January 3rd) and again on January 14th. It will be interesting to see Wilson’s hit totals at the end of the game, and maybe his PIMs as well.
(H/T RMNB)
