Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended three times this season, including a three-game ban during the second round of the playoffs for checking Zack Aston-Reese in the head.
Tuesday night during Game Three, Wilson absorbed a painful hit of his own after being boarded by Anton Stralman. Stralman leaped into the hit, driving Wilson’s head into the bards. The Lightning defenseman received a two-minute minor penalty for boarding on the play.
In the locker room after the game, Wilson shared his thoughts on the hit and believed that Stralman deserves supplemental discipline. He even encouraged reporters to “feel the goose egg” on the side of his head and said “If I’m wearing a helmet from five years ago, I’m probably unconscious.”
“He sees numbers for a good amount of time and he elevates through the back of my shoulder and head,” Wilson said. “If I make that hit, 100 percent, I’m probably sitting out.”
His full comments about the hit are below.
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“He sees numbers the whole way…That’s a lot of don’ts…If I make that hit, 100-percent, I’m probably sitting out.” — Tom Wilson on the Anton Stralman boarding penalty in Game 3. #CapsBolts #ALLCAPS #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/PoQVWtUHdi
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) May 16, 2018
Tom Wilson: “When someone — I don’t want to talk about the incident too much, but — when someone gets run from behind, for the next couple of shifts you might be a little bit more tentative and look when you’re going back for pucks. We’ve got to play through it. There’s going to be emotion. There’s going to be heavy hits in games. We’ve got to control our emotion and be sure we’re the better team for a majority of the 60. We made a push late, but it was too late.”
Did you have a problem with the Stralman hit?
Tom Wilson: “You guys tell me. I don’t really know anymore. I don’t know. If anyone wants to feel the goose egg on the side of my head. He leaves his feet. I am in a pretty vulnerable spot and he drives my head through the glass. I’m not one to lay on the ice, but took me a little bit to collect myself and I got back out there.
“Everything I’ve heard all year, he sees numbers for a good amount of time and he elevates through the back of my shoulder and head.”
Do you think the NHL will take a look at the hit?
Tom Wilson: “Well it’s their job to look at the hit for sure. They’re probably reviewing it. I can tell you, if it’s the other way around, you better believe they’re looking at it. And you better believe there’s more attention on it. It doesn’t matter. It’s a vulnerable position. There’s no doubt there’s contact with my head. If I’m wearing a helmet from five years ago, I’m probably unconscious. We’ll see what they say. We’re going to keep driving forward here. I’m not here to complain about it. I’m just talking about it for the better of the game and the better of player safety.”
Do you feel like it’s been tough for you to get the benefit of the doubt on hits like that?
Tom Wilson: “Yeah. I mean I’m a bigger guy. I got a little bit more weight. I’m taller and he still finds a way to get my head. I get I’m crouched over a little bit. I maybe don’t put myself in the best position there, but he sees numbers the whole way. Everything I’ve talked to them about this year… that’s it right there. That’s a lot of don’ts for me. From what they’ve been telling me, that’s a lot of don’ts. But if I make that hit, 100 percent, I’m probably sitting out. We’ll see. It’s playoffs. It’s an intense time of year. I don’t think he’s a malicious player at all, but it’s a pretty dangerous hit. I think a lot of people will say that. Obviously media has a big opinion on everything and I’m just giving you mine.”
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