It’s no secret that Tom Wilson regularly plays on the edge. He’s one of those players whose heavy hits are entertaining to watch but at the same time, you’re afraid that at some point he’ll take it a step too far and injure someone. Home and neutral fans love him while rivals despise him. It comes with the territory.
Wilson has also never been suspended.
That could change soon, though. Early in the third period in Thursday’s Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Wilson threw a needless — and quite dangerous — knee-on-knee check to Conor Sheary, who was wincing in pain on the bench after. There was no penalty.
Now, it is the second round of the playoffs, so any suspension will likely be a light one, given the NHL’s track record with post-season punishments. And Sheary stayed on the bench uninjured, so that fact could also impact any decision or review by the league. Consider it a long shot that he will receive any supplemental discipline.
But there’s no doubting it was a careless hit that serves no purpose other than to injure a player. And it caused quite the reaction on social media:
Is it enough to warrant a suspension for, say, one or two games? What say you?
