As recently as a decade or so ago, when a player cut across the middle of the ice with the puck, he became an instant target for opponents to make him think twice about it.
The NHL has attempted to remove that mindset from the game. And while those types of hits appear to be diminishing, the league is not quite there yet.
Advertisement
Capitals forward Tom Wilson proved that during the second period of Sunday’s preseason game against the Blues when the forward laid a crunching, open-ice hit on Oskar Sundqvist. Sundqvist had to be helped off the ice, and Wilson was assessed a match penalty and ejected from the game.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Wilson was offered an in-person hearing, which means he could be suspended for at least six games and will most certainly miss the start of the regular season. That is something that is becoming a regular occurrence for the veteran as in separate games last preseason Wilson was suspended for hits on Blues players, with the second — after drilling Sammy Blais into the boards — costing him the first four games of the 2017-18 regular season.
Tom Wilson's hit on Oskar Sundqvist. Wilson received a match penalty. pic.twitter.com/gseYif7Fz4
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) September 30, 2018
“It was predatory, and that’s what he’s done,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said following Sunday’s game of Wilson’s hit on Sundqvist. “And he’s done that against us. That’s the way he plays the game.”
Yeo said that Sundqvist was “not good” after the hit and he’d “be surprised if he didn’t miss a decent amount of time here.”
“There are a couple of upper-body injuries,” Yeo added. “He’s in a bad spot right now. I feel bad for him.”
For their part, the Capitals rallied around their teammate and said it’s still not a good idea for a player to come across the middle of the ice.
“It sucks the guy got hurt,” Caps winger Devante Smith-Pelly said. “At the same time, at a certain point … he can’t be coming across the middle. I don’t care if it’s preseason or the middle of the season; that play is not exactly the safest. I haven’t see the replay. It looked like (Wilson) went right just through his body. But at the same time, I don’t think you should be cutting across the middle no matter who is on the ice.”
Advertisement
Said Capitals veteran Brett Connolly: “You never want to see a guy get hurt like that. It’s a big, big hit. He definitely didn’t see him coming. Those big hits are starting to leave the game, but I think you still have to be aware there’s still going to be that time when maybe you get caught in a tough spot.”
Caps center Nic Dowd said opponents need to be aware of when Wilson is on the ice, calling it “a personnel thing.”
“It was definitely in the game more 10 years ago when guys were getting absolutely killed coming across the middle,” Dowd said. “That’s part of Tom’s game, and that’s how he’s going to play. He’s dealt with this before. He plays fast, and he plays hard.”
The league will look into the incident with Rule No. 48 regarding hits to the head to be discussed. With the Caps set to kick off the regular season against the Bruins on Wednesday night, it appears likely Wilson won’t be in the lineup.
“It’s a tough one,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a league review and something that is out of our hands. (Wilson) is coming back into the defensive zone into position, and (Sundqvist) cuts back into him.”
The Capitals sound prepared to move forward without Wilson.
“For (Wilson), he’s just trying to find that little line right under where it’s crossing the line,” Connolly said. “We’re going to need (Wilson) on the ice this year for sure. He’s a big part of our team. We don’t want to be losing him in games like that.
“He’s aware. He’s not a dumb guy. He’s smart. We’ll move on and that’s it.”
(Top photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)