MILAN – Leave it to Tom Wilson to register what is believed to be the first Gordie Howe hat trick on the Olympic stage.
The notorious Capitals agitator scored the first goal of Canada’s game against France on Monday, assisted on linemate Connor McDavid’s 7-0 score 20 seconds into the second period and then dropped the gloves with Pierre Crinon in response to the Frenchmen’s instigation and “dirty” hit on Nathan MacKinnon.
Are you still wondering why Team Canada opted to bring him?
“It was kind of a dirty hit, and it’s a little bit different in the Olympics, how you have to go about it,” Wilson said after practice Tuesday when asked how he saw it all unfold. “I obviously ended up with the same guy who had done it. Hockey is an emotional game. It’s a competitive game. And when you come together with a big guy, you kind of have to make the decision quickly and the gloves came off. Got thrown down to the ice, and then from there, it’s just kind of a bit of a melee.
“I mean, it’s fight or flight at that point, you’re just kind of figuring out what you have to do. Obviously, the game was kind of out of hand, so it wasn’t a big deal with five minutes left in the game there that I could potentially get thrown out. I just wanted to stick up for our team.”
Crinon was suspended for the remainder of the Olympic tournament by the French ice hockey federation, which cited that the defenseman’s actions following the fight were against its values.
Since fighting is a game misconduct under International Ice Hockey Federation rules, both Crinon and Wilson were ejected with seven minutes left in Canada’s eventual 10-2 win.
There was no supplemental discipline from the IIHF for either player, but Crinon – a known enforcer in Ligue Magnus with a rap sheet – was punished by his own country for “a clear violation of the Olympic spirit.”
A couple of Crinon’s teammates expressed disappointment with the decision.
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“I think he deserves to play,” Hugo Gallet said. “Honestly, it’s a little bit frustrating for our own federation to suspend him. I think maybe they make that decision based on something that happened in the past in another league. Honestly, I’m behind him. We needed him.”
Added Antoine Keller: “It’s a joke from the French Olympic Committee.”
Wison repeated his intentions to maintain his physical game despite the stricter Olympic rules.
During the tussle with Crinon, he knew that as long as he didn’t get too carried away that he would be clear to continue in the tournament.
When Crinon didn’t stop pursuing him, however, Wilson said it got the level of needing to defend himself.
“It’s the same sport,” Wilson said. “I mean, there’s obviously a little bit of different rules, but at the end of the day, it’s hockey. It’s going to be really competitive. It’s going to be really physical. Every team is trying to hit us and come after us in their certain way. So, we have to stick up for each other. We have to stick up for our game. I’m not focused on changing my style at all. I want to be hard to play against. I want to be up and down the ice.
“I want to be physical. I want to make space for my teammates, and if I have to stand up for them, obviously, stick up for my teammates and our country. So, it’s hockey. It’s the greatest sport for a reason. Tensions get high. There’s a lot of emotion, and whatever happens out there, happens.”
Wilson and top-seeded Canada will take on Czechia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
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