Capitals' Alex Ovechkin Becomes 6th NHL Player with 800 Regular-Season, Playoff Goals
May 20, 2021
BOSTON, MA - MAY 19: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals reacts with teammates after scoring in the second period in Game Three of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on May 19, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Alex Ovechkin just keeps on adding accomplishments to his Hall of Fame resume.
On Wednesday, he scored his 800th career goal (regular season and postseason), joining Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Brett Hull, Jaromir Jagr and Mark Messier in that elite club:
Ovechkin isn't showing any signs of slowing down, either. The 35-year-old scored 24 goals in 45 games this season after posting 48 goals across 68 contests last year. If he stays healthy and plays for a few more seasons, the 16-year veteran could potentially become just the second player in NHL history to reach 900 goals.
He almost assuredly won't catch Gretzky's 1,016. But he might catch Howe's 869. Regardless, his career has already reached legendary status.
Brad Marchand Scores OT Goal as Bruins Even Series Against Capitals with Game 2 Win
May 18, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins tries to get the puck past Craig Anderson #31 of the Washington Capitals in the first period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
After dropping the first game of the first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals in extra time, the Bruins got back at them with a 4-3win on Monday night.
Brad Marchand potted the winnerfor Boston 39 seconds into the extra period.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 18, 2021
For Washington, which was on a three-game winning streak entering Monday, Garnet Hathaway scored two goals.
Notable Performers
Garnet Hathaway, Capitals: 2 goals, 3 SOG, +2
Dmitry Orlov, Capitals: 2 assists, 2 SOG
Brad Marchand, Bruins: GWG, +1, 5 SOG
Tuukka Rask, Bruins: 36 saves on 39 shots, 8-of-9 on power plays
Garnet Hathaway's Career Night Leads Caps
After the Bruins scored first despite an early offensive push from Washington, the Capitals got one back on a power play goal from T.J. Oshie, who capitalized with David Pastrnak in the box for holding.
But even with their domination in the offensive zone, the Capitals were getting beat. Craig Anderson shined in Game 1, when he was thrust into the action due to an early lower body injury to starter Vitek Vanecek. He made 21 saves on 22 shots on Saturday, but he was uneasy between the pipes in Game 2.
After a series of penalties that resulted in some four-on-four play, Garnet Hathaway deflected a shot from Dmitry Orlov off of his skate to even the score. The point was Hathaway's first career postseason goal.
While the Capitals were calmed following their early offensive push, Anderson also seemed to get his bearings between the pipes. After giving up a pair of goals in five shots faced, the veteran stopped 13 consecutive pucks heading into the first intermission.
He further settled in to the game in the middle frame, when he stopped 15 Boston shots to keep the score even.
Washington started the third without center Lars Eller—who had the assist on Hathaway's equalizer—after he suffered a lower body injury during the second period.
But they managed to assert their dominance over the Bruins to start the final frame anyway, taking advantage of Nick Ritchie getting called for roughing Oshie just two minutes in.
They had five shots on net on the power play to rattle Rask, who was pressured into another shorthanded situation when Hall was whistled for tripping Conor Sheary almost as soon as the earlier call ended. But they couldn't finish and the score remained tied.
Once they were back at even strength, Hathaway managed to find the back of the net and score his second goal of the night to put Washington up with 12:56 left to play.
While it's hugely rewarding to have a historic night when it matters most, it might have been just that much more special for Hathaway, a true New Englander who grew up in Maine, attended prep school in Massachusetts and played collegiately at Brown University in Rhode Island.
Rask Holds Off Onslaughts, But Can't Keep It Up
The Capitals battered Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask in Game 1, with 32 shots in the 3-2 overtime victory. They came out with the same force on Monday as the Capitals outshot the Bruins 8-1 in the opening three minutes.
After Washington went up thanks to Oshie's power play goal, Patrice Bergeron combined with his teammates on the top line to capitalize on the Capitals' failure to clear the puck and put Boston back on top.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 18, 2021
Washington got another thanks to congestion in front of the net, making it an even outing heading into the first intermission. Both teams had 18 shots to go with their pairs of goals.
Boston had a chance to take the lead at 6:22 of the second period with John Carlson whistled for tripping Taylor Hall, and while they had plenty of time in the zone, they couldn't get it done.
Despite outshooting the Capitals 15-9 in the second period, the Bruins couldn't break open the score.
Rask shined again through two quick power play situations to start the third, but he couldn't hang on forever with little defensive help After the Capitals outshot the Bruins 9-0 to start the third, Rask gave up a second goal to Hathaway to let the Capitals take the advantage.
Luckily, the Bruins got a second lease on life when Taylor Hall netted the equalizer with 2:49 left to play, forcing overtime.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 18, 2021
His late goal gave the Bruins the momentum they needed to set up Brad Marchand's early overtime winner.
What's Next?
The series is headed to Boston, where Game 3 will be played Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals Win Game 1 vs. Bruins Behind Nic Dowd's OT Goal
May 16, 2021
Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) skates with the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
After splitting eight head-to-head meetings with the Boston Bruins during the regular season, the Washington Capitals have a leg up on them thanks to their 3-2 overtime win in Game 1 of the East Division playoffs on Saturday.
Washington entered this game a little bit healthier than it did the last time these two teams met on Tuesday. John Carlson returned from a two-game absence because of a lower-body injury. Alex Ovechkin only played 19 minutes as he was returning from a lower-body injury.
Nic Dowd scored the game-winner 4:41 into overtime. The officials did review the play after it appeared the Capitals may have been offside, but replay confirmed the goal was good to end the game.
gonna watch this on repeat for a bit if y'all don't mind...
Dowd's heroics will help cover up what looks to be an ongoing depth problem for the Capitals.
Washington started this series shorthanded due to COVID-19 protocols. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov didn't play in Saturday's game.
Things appeared to get worse for the Capitals midway through the first quarter. Starting goalie Vitek Vanecek appeared to injure his lower body while attempting to make a save on Jake DeBrusk's goal.
That left Craig Anderson, who started a total of two games during the regular season, to step into the net. It marked the 39-year-old's first playoff appearance in four years.
Craig Anderson's first playoff appearance since Game 7 of the 2017 ECF with Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh.
Despite being down to their third-string goalie, the Capitals showed no fear against a game Bruins team. Anderson stopped his first 10 shots after taking over and 21 of 22 overall.
Washington's offense continued applying pressure on Boston goalie Tuukka Rask. Tom Wilson got the puck past him at the 6:22 mark of the first period to put the Capitals on top 1-0.
DeBrusk squared things at one with his goal on the play when Vanecek was injured. The score remained even until Dillon broke the stalemate. It appeared as if he was trying to find Ovechkin on a pass, but the puck changed direction at the last second and bounced over Rask's shoulder.
It looked like Washington was poised to take control of things at that moment, but the offense frequently struggled to get into a consistent rhythm.
The physical style of play by both teams worked against the Capitals in this game. Boston had a four to one advantage in power-play opportunities.
Washington had the fifth-best penalty-kill percentage in the league during the regular season (84.0).
Eventually things caught up to the Capitals when Nick Ritchie snuck a shot past Anderson on a power play.
Given how limited Washington's roster is right now, it can't afford to get whistled for this many penalties against an opponent who knows its strengths and weaknesses so well.
The Capitals are in the driver seat early in the series. Their margin for error right now is small, but they have enough talent to cause problems for the Bruins moving forward.
Bruins Can't Take Advantage of Capitals' Mistakes
Coming into the series, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy went on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Richshow to discuss why his team was set up to handle Wilson's style of play better than the New York Rangers did last week.
"There has to be a little more awareness when he's on the ice. That's built in, I think guys know that," Cassidy said. "But the other stuff, you've got to be careful that you're not putting your team at a disadvantage, yet still keep them honest."
Wilson made Cassidy look silly early with his first-period goal, but that was about the extent of his impact on the game.
The Bruins did a good job of not letting Wilson disrupt their offense. DeBrusk got his team back in the game with a goal that caught Vanecek off guard to the point he did the splits trying to stop the shot.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 15, 2021
Even though Washington's defense did its best to keep the Bruins from getting clean looks at the goal, its luck ran out late in the second period. Ritchie was able to poke the puck past Anderson to tie the score at two shortly before the second intermission.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 16, 2021
That came one minute after the Capitals were whistled for a high-sticking penalty on Marchand.
One thing that the Bruins can improve upon in Game 2 is the production from their top line. Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak combined for one point and seven shots. Pastrnak had six of those shots.
Boston had a great opportunity to get back on top midway through the third period. Matt Grzelcyk and Chris Wagner had two high-quality shots at the net, but Anderson made plays on both of them to keep the score tied at two.
If the Bruins top line was a disappointment in Game 1, Rask most certainly was not. Cassidy could have had a quick hook on his top goaltender with 22-year-old rookie Jeremy Swayman posting a 94.5 save percentage in the regular season.
Rask did a fantastic job of keeping Washington's potent offense from unloading. The second goal he allowed happened because the puck took a weird hop off the ice. He stopped all eight shots faced in the third, including four in a 45-second stretch.
It’s Tuukka Rask vs. the world in this third period.
"I probably bumped it into my own net or something," Rask told reporters after the game about the game-winning goal. "I haven't seen the replay. I think all of the [Capitals] goals hit a stick. That's how it goes sometimes"
This loss doesn't fall on Rask's shoulders. He kept the Bruins in the game throughout regulation. It wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch, but Cassidy can feel better about his veteran goaltender going forward.
If the Bruins want to beat the Capitals, they are going to need a more consistent offensive output.
What's Next?
The Bruins and Capitals will play Game 2 of their series on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NHL's Alex Ovechkin Invests in NWSL's Washington Spirit: 'Important to Support Women'
May 9, 2021
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - APRIL 22: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals sjates during warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on April 22, 2021 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images)
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has become the latest notable investor in the National Women's Soccer League.
According to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, Ovechkin has joined the ownership group of the Washington Spirit.
"I think it's important to support women and women's professional athletes—not just in the United States, but all over the world," Ovechkin told ESPN. "It was also important for me to support the D.C. community. I support everybody in this town. Me and my wife love to go watch a soccer game, watch football, and baseball. We all win. If I have this opportunity, I think it's very important for me to do it, because it also shows we care."
The 35-year-old has spent his entire 16-year NHL career in Washington since coming over from Russia.
Steve Baldwin is the Spirit's majority owner, although there are several noteworthy investors, including gymnast Dominique Dawes and former first daughters Chelsea Clinton and Jenna Bush.
Serena Williams, Natalie Portman, Billie Jean King, Lindsey Vonn and Naomi Osaka are among the other celebrities and fellow athletes who have joined ownership groups on other teams around the league.
It's part of an attempt to grow the league that was created in 2013, which has maximum salaries for players at $52,500.
Ovechkin, whose mother Tatyana won two Olympic gold medals in basketball, is looking to support the league with both his money and time.
"If I have the chance, I have the time, I'd love to go to a practice, would love to go to the games," he said. "I'm looking forward to meeting the players. I think it's critical to be involved with those kind of things. To support women's soccer, I think it's pretty cool."
Capitals' Tom Wilson Spoke to Artemi Panarin, Ready to Move on from Controversial Hit
May 7, 2021
Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson (43) takes a roughing penalty during the second period against New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin (10) in an NHL hockey game Monday, May 3, 2021, in New York. (Bruce Bennett/Pool Photo via AP)
Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson is ready to stop talking about his hit on Artemi Panarin that left the New York Rangers star injured.
He told reporters he is feeling recovered from an upper-body injury he suffered when fights broke out in the teams' rematch on Wednesday. He also said he has spoken to Panarin, whose lower-body injury has forced him to miss the end of the season.
"I'm feeling good," Wilson said. "I'm glad Panarin is doing well. He's better. I reached out to him, and that's really what matters right now."
Wilson was given two roughing penalties and a 10-minute misconduct penalty for his actions on Monday and was later fined $5,000 by the league for roughing Pavel Buchnevich. No further action was taken against Wilson for the check on Panarin.
"It seemed [like a] fairly routine hockey scrum to me, and I think that was kind of the feeling from both players in the box, and then obviously it took on a new life after the game," Wilson said. "Those scrums are chaotic and there's lots of stuff going on, but I didn't think too much of it at the time."
The Rangers issued a statement regarding the lack of punishment and were fined $250,000 for speaking out against George Parros, the head of the league's player safety department.
Things erupted in Tuesday's rematch, when six separate fights broke out at the start of the game. In the first 4:14 of play, the teams combined for 72 penalty minutes, and they ended the night with 141.
100 penalty minutes combined were assessed between the Rangers and the Capitals in the 1st period alone. pic.twitter.com/zqLWZlyYMo
Wilson has been suspended five times during his career, most recently serving a seven-game suspension in March for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo.
Rangers' Brendan Smith Talks Fight with Capitals' Tom Wilson: It Was on My Shoulders
May 6, 2021
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 05: Zdeno Chara #33 of the Washington Capitals exchanges words with Brendan Smith #42 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on May 5, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
Wednesday's game between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals was a boxing match with a little hockey sprinkled in.
The teams combined for 141 penalty minutes and fought six times in the first period, as Rangers players sought to avenge Tom Wilson injuring star Artemi Panarin. While the Capitals wound up winning the game 4-2, the focus after the game remained on the Rangers' reaction to Wilson.
Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith, who fought Wilson immediately after he took the ice Wednesday, offered a rebuke of the NHL's lack of punishment.
"I had no beef with anybody else on their team. I thought it should've been handled before this game, and it wasn't. Unfortunately, it had to be on my shoulders and I thought I took it," Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith told reporters.
Tom Wilson steps onto the ice for the first time and is immediately met by Brendan Smith. 👀 pic.twitter.com/dC8KqjvSXl
The Capitals later pulled Wilson for the rest of the game with an upper-body injury.
The NHL fined Wilson $5,000—the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement—but chose not to suspend the Capitals enforcer despite his long history of on-ice violence that toes the line toward being dirty. The Rangers issued a strong statement Tuesday NHL that said George Parros, who leads the Department of Player Safety, is "unfit for his role."
Forward Ryan Strome, who called the NHL's penalty a "joke," said the league's lack of punishment caused the melee.
"I definitely think that we felt the need to take matters into our own hands a little bit. I thought it was a great response. It really showed a lot from our team," Strome told reporters.
The Rangers organization has been in a state of disarray over the last 48 hours in the fallout of losing Panarin. General manager Jeff Gorton and president John Davidson were fired Wednesday, and coach David Quinn told reporters said he is unsure about his long-term job status.
Video: Capitals' T.J. Oshie Records Hat Trick in 1st Game After Father's Death
May 6, 2021
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 05: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on May 5, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
In an inspirational performance, Washington Capitals right winger T.J. Oshie scored a hat trick during Wednesday's 4-2 win over the New York Rangers.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 6, 2021
It was his first game since he announced his father, Tim, who was known to many as "Coach Oshie," died.
"It's with a heavy heart today that my family mourns the passing of my Dad 'Coach Oshie,'" the Capitals star wrote. "Coach lived life to the fullest and was unanimously loved by everyone who met him. Thanks to all the family and friends for their support. Heaven received a legend today."
It’s with a heavy heart today that my family mourns the passing of my Dad “Coach Oshie.” Coach lived life to the fullest and was unanimously loved by everyone who met him. Thanks to all the family and friends for their support. Heaven received a legend today. #RIPCoachOshpic.twitter.com/WSAgNNtTpO
Oshie reacted to his performance in Wednesday's game:
I have nothing but love for my teammates. I will be forever grateful for this night and especially because I got to share it with my brothers. #ForCoachOshhttps://t.co/5EnKx8kjS3
Kevin Brown of NBC Sports Washington noted Tim had Alzheimer's and was the focal point of an emotional speech from the younger Oshie after the Capitals won the 2018 Stanley Cup.
"My dad's here in the crowd, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's," Oshie said at the time. "He doesn't remember a lot of stuff, but you bet your ass he's gonna remember this one."
Oshie missed Monday's game against the Rangers.
Tom Wilson Exits Fight-Filled Capitals vs. Rangers Game with Upper-Body Injury
May 6, 2021
Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson skates as players warm up for an NHL hockey game between the Capitals and the New York Rangers on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in New York. (Bruce Bennett/Pool Photo via AP)
The Washington Capitals announced Tom Wilson will not return to the ice on Wednesday against the New York Rangers with an upper-body injury.
#Caps Tom Wilson will not return to tonight’s game (upper body)
The announcement came during the second period of a vitriolic rematch between the Caps and Rangers after Wilson was not suspended by the league despite injuring Rangers star Artemi Panarin on Monday. After New York announced Panarin would miss the rest of the season due to the undisclosed injury, the Rangers put out a statement criticizing NHL Department of Player Safety head George Parros, arguing he's unfit for the role.
Wednesday's game saw the Rangers attempt to draw even with Washington, and Wilson in particular, with six fights in the first period, including three off the opening face-off.
It's the latest twist in a series of wild events for the Rangers, who are eliminated from playoff contention, following the firings of team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton earlier on Wednesday.
Washington, meanwhile, has already locked up a spot in the postseason and is battling with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the top seed in the East Division.
Wilson's availability isn't likely to alter the Caps' odds of winning the Stanley Cup. The winger mostly serves as an enforcer, having racked up 69 penalty minutes entering Wednesday's contest—a number that's likely to take another massive leap by the end of the night.
In 43 games this season, Wilson has recorded 13 goals and 20 assists.
The NHL's Lack of Discipline Against the Capitals' Tom Wilson Is Baffling
May 5, 2021
Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson (43) yells at the New York Rangers bench after taking a second-period penalty during an NHL hockey game Monday, May 3, 2021, in New York. (Bruce Bennett/Pool Photo via AP)
Tom Wilson went too far. The NHL did not go far enough.
Wilson, the 27-year-old Washington Capitals forward, has always been a lightning rod for controversy as one of the league's most notorious tough guys and one of the most skilled. But after his role in a game against the New York Rangers on Monday night that injured star forward Artemi Panarin, fans and media were calling for an outright ban of Wilson.
If you haven't seen what happened, let me catch you up. Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich had a scoring opportunity on the doorstep of the Caps' goal. He fell onto his stomach while trying to jam the puck into the net and Wilson took offense to a whack at goalie Vitek Vanecek, and the altercation began.
Buchnevich lay prone on the ice, and Wilson stuck his stick over his neck to keep him on the ice while he punched him in the back of the head.
Rangers forward Ryan Strome pulled Wilson off Buchnevich, and Panarin jumped on Wilson's back to get him away from Strome.
Here's where things took a dangerous turn.
Wilson ripped off Panarin's helmet and threw him to the ground not once, but twice. Panarin's head bounced off the ice.
Panarin left the game with a lower-body injury, and the Rangers ruled him out for the final three games of the season. Meanwhile, Wilson went to the penalty box for a roughing double-minor and a 10-minute game misconduct penalty. In an extra flippant move, he flexed his muscles in his shoulder pads for the camera while serving said penalty.
To make matters worse, the Capitals sent out, and later deleted, an exceptionally tone-deaf tweet about Wilson "choosing violence" and living "rent free" in the heads of critics. It was clearly geared toward the TikTok generation, and it was in such poor taste the Capitals themselves said it didn't meet their own social media standards.
It was all a giant mess, and now the NHL has an even bigger one on its hands because of its own inaction.
The NHL Department of Player Safety issued him a $5,000 fine, the maximum amount allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for roughing Buchnevich. It had no choice but to officiate by the book, but maybe the book is the problem considering Wilson, a repeat offender who has been suspended five times and paid over $1 million in fines, is clearly a danger to others on the ice.
Wilson claims to be a changed man after a seven-game suspension earlier this season for an illegal check to the head of Brandon Carlo of the Boston Bruins. Clearly, that penalty wasn't enough to prevent him from "choosing violence" again. There was no accountability for Wilson and none from Player Safety on why it chose not to suspend him.
We know why Player Safety didn't suspend him: What it saw was, yes, roughing of Buchnevich, but anything that happened after that, like the scrums in the corner, were just hockey scrums, and those are tough to regulate.
There was no mention of what happened to Panarin during those scrums in the corner, which seemed like an egregious oversight. The Rangers found it so egregious they issued a statement calling for George Parros' job.
"Wilson is a repeat offender with a long history of these type of acts and we find it shocking that the NHL and their Department of Player Safety failed to take the appropriate action and suspend him indefinitely," the club said. "Wilson's dangerous and reckless actions caused an injury to Artemi Panarin that will prevent him from playing again this season. We view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL Head of Player Safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role."
The Caps, on the other hand, found it to be exactly what Parros, the head of the department, found it to be: a hockey play.
"I thought it was just a scrum, like physical play," Washington coach Peter Laviolette told reporters in his postgame Zoom press conference. "There was something going on originally with the goalie, and they're jamming at the goalie and a bunch of players jump in there. It happens a lot."
It does happen a lot, and the NHL needs to step in and regulate it. The problem with officiating by the book is that it doesn't leave a lot of room for leeway when it comes to player safety decisions. Safety needs to be the priority more so than playing by the exact rules.
Here's a non-Wilson example: In November 2019, in a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado defenseman Matt Calvert was hit in the head by a wrist shot from Elias Pettersson. He lay bleeding on the ice while the play continued because the Canucks had possession of the puck. Therefore, the officials couldn't whistle it dead.
There needs to be room to make a judgment call when it comes to matters of player safety.
Here's another example, this one involving Wilson.
In 2018, the Capitals were hosting the struggling New Jersey Devils. Brett Seney, an undersized rookie forward being used by a depleted Devils squad, had a couple of chances on breakaways. After one of those breakaway attempts, Seney corralled the rebound and turned to rim it off the wall. Wilson came up behind him and upended him with a late, high hit to the head.
You know what Wilson could have done? Contain Seney on the breakout. Wilson was a Stanley Cup winner and Seney was an American Leaguer. It's baffling that Wilson continues to do these things because he's actually a quality player. He doesn't need to play dirty or lay down cheap shots against lesser players like Seney or stars like Panarin.
"Tom Wilson is an effective hockey player," Strome said Tuesday during his Zoom availability. "I think he's proven he can score goals, he can play with good players. I think he plays the game with an edge, and it is what it is. He's got good skill, and he produces in this league. But I just think he crossed a line."
It leads his opponents to believe he has a lack of respect for them and an inability to contain his own anger and emotions.
"I figured you should have some more respect for the game and for the players," Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad said after the game. "I don't honestly know where to start. It's just there's zero respect. I don't know why I'm surprised. Just horrible."
Wilson was not playing on the edge against the Rangers, as many have asserted. He lost his cool and made a dangerous move against not one, but two defenseless players.
"A line was crossed," Rangers coach David Quinn said. "[Panarin] didn't have his helmet on, [he was] vulnerable, he got hurt. You know, to me, there was an awful lot there to suspend him."
Fighting will always be a part of hockey, but the concussion problem is well documented, and the league has stepped up its efforts to prioritize player safety. Now, the NHL could be looking at an even bigger fight Wednesday night when the Capitals and Rangers square off again. New York could call up Mason Geertsen from Hartford of the AHL. Geertsen has 14 fights over the last two seasons in the AHL, and at 6'4" and 220 pounds, he's a formidable opponent for the similarly built Wilson.
The league dropped the ball on this one, and now the Rangers may have to take matters into their own hands. If Wilson engages, he could face more discipline, and the Capitals could lose him during the playoffs. He's a key member of the team on and off the ice. He's well liked in the room, and he's the NHLPA rep for the team.
But then again, he has proved to be Teflon Tom. The NHL will continue to enable him unless greater action is taken.
"As players, you want the league to have your back in those situations," Strome said. "I just feel like they didn't."
Rangers Rip NHL in Statement After Tom Wilson's $5K Fine for Roughing
May 4, 2021
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 03: Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals yells at the New York Rangers bench after taking a second period penalty at Madison Square Garden on May 03, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The NHL announced Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was fined $5,000 for roughing during Monday's game against the New York Rangers.
While it was the maximum allowable fine under the collective bargaining agreement, the Rangers were not happy that Wilson was not suspended.
They released a strong statement after the penalty was revealed:
"The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden," the statement said.
It also pointed out he is a "repeat offender with a long history of these types of acts" and that his actions cost Artemi Panarin the rest of his season because of injury. Perhaps most notably, the Rangers said "we view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL head of player safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role."
Greg Wyshynski of ESPN described the scene from Monday's game, noting Wilson punched Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head when he was face down on the ice. He then started fighting with Panarin and eventually flipped the Rangers star onto the ice in a move that caused the injury.
Wilson is no stranger to controversy.
James O'Brien of Pro Hockey Talk noted the NHL has suspended him five times and fined him an additional three times. He was also fortunate to avoid multiple suspensions during the 2018 postseason even though he was suspended once during those playoffs.
Wilson is known for his hard hits, dirty plays and drawing the ire of opposing fanbases. He is now the direct cause of a stunning statement from the Rangers that went as far as to say Parros is incapable of doing his job.
On the season, Wilson has 33 points on 13 goals and 20 assists.
His Capitals are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins atop the East Division with 71 points.
