Tom Wilson went on the Cabbie Presents Podcast along with Calgary Flames forward Sean Monahan. The two talked about a wide variety of topics including fighting. After no commenting initially on Alex Ovechkin’s vicious knockout of Andrei Svechnikov in the playoffs, Wilson spoke about the fight with TSN’s Cabbie Richards.

“They were battling for a while before that, no one really realized,” Wilson, Ovechkin’s line-mate on the first line, said. “End of the regular season, they were really going at it and [the fight] was kind of the peak of the confrontation. And Ovi’s a lefty. He’ll tell him, that’s not even his dominant hand.”

“At first, I’m like, ‘Oh god, don’t get hurt, Ovi,’” Wilson said. “At first thought, it was ‘Why is Ovi fighting?’ Then it was, ‘Oh. Oh no.’ And then, it is what it is.”

Ovechkin’s fight went viral and the knockout was so impressive, the UFC and former double champion Conor McGregor commented on it.

“A proper Russian,” McGregor said.

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Transcription

Cabbie Richards: “Speaking of bodies being punished, who was the kid that challenged Ovi in Round One? The Russian kid.”

Tom Wilson: “Svechnikov, yeah. No comment.”

Cabbie Richards: “What do you mean?” [Turns to Monahan] “Game Three, you know, you saw it.”

Sean Monahan: “Yeah.”

Cabbie Richards: “You as an observer, a fan, you’re watching the highlights either on your phone or on TV and you see—obviously, you’ve played against Ovi, so you know how much of a beast he is–but then a young buck, challenging one of the gods. How did you experience his ultimate demise?”

Sean Monahan: “Yeah, I mean, good for him. He’s trying to set a tone and make a difference. Unfortunately, Ovi got the best of him.”

Cabbie Richards: “Did you say to yourself, ‘Holy f-ck that’s crazy, why the f-ck would you do that?’”

Sean Monahan: “No, it’s part of the game. Willy’s in the mix like that all the time. You gotta do things for your team sometimes that are uncomfortable.”

Cabbie Richards: “But nobody’s testing Tom Wilson…”

Tom Wilson: “They were battling for a while before that, no one really realized. End of the regular season, they were really going at it and it was kind of the peak of the confrontation. And Ovi’s a lefty. He’ll tell him, that’s not even his dominant hand.”

Cabbie Richards: “But he was throwing straight rights, though!”

Tom Wilson: “Yeah. He’s just an extremely powerful — he’s a huge — anyone that’s seen him off the ice, he’s just a unit, you know? He chugs around out there.”

Cabbie Richards: “Were you on the ice when it happened?”

Tom Wilson: “Yeah. At first, I’m like, ‘Oh god, don’t get hurt, Ovi.’ At first thought, it was ‘Why is Ovi fighting?’ Then it was, ‘Oh. Oh no.’ And then, it is what it is.”

Cabbie Richards: “After the game, the tone is very somber, Ovi’s like, ‘Oh, I hope I didn’t hurt him,’ that kind of thing.”

Tom Wilson: “Ovi caught a lot of heat for it.”

Cabbie Richards: “You think? But he got test…”

Tom Wilson: “It was an ongoing thing. Like he finally was like ‘Okay.’”

Cabbie Richards: Has anyone tried to test you?

Tom Wilson: “Oh yeah, all the time.”

Cabbie Richards: “And then what happens? Oh, I remember I was messaging you. This season, didn’t you break someone’s orbital bone?”

Tom Wilson: “Yeah.”

Cabbie Richards: “Who was it?”

Tom Wilson: “Ian Cole. But I mean, that happens. When there’s a fight, when you drop the gloves, you know that either guy could potentially get hurt.”

Headline photo: NBC Sports Washington