Tom Wilson is in some hot water after a hit on Brandon Carlo that sent the Bruins defenseman to the hospital.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety offered Wilson an in-person hearing on Saturday morning (date and time to be determined), meaning he will likely end up being suspended five-plus games.
Washington’s Tom Wilson has been offered an in-person hearing via Zoom for Boarding Boston’s Brandon Carlo. Date and time TBD.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 6, 2021
With the Department of Player Safety referring to the hit as boarding, they are focusing on how Wilson checked or pushed “a defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously… The onus is on the player applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a defenseless position and if so, he must avoid or minimize contact.”
As @NHLPlayerSafety just announced, it appears their focus shifted from an illegal hit to the head to a boarding call. As I said last night, Wilson’s hit didn’t satisfy criteria of the former. But it’s closer to the latter, with Carlo being considered defenseless. pic.twitter.com/MIWTdY1ekW
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) March 6, 2021
Wilson hit Carlo, who had the puck along the boards, after checking Trent Frederic twice in the same shift.
“I saw the hit,” Peter Laviolette said after the game. “I mean, [Tom Wilson]’s feet were on the ice, he stayed down with everything. It just looked like a hard hit in the corner. I’m not sure exactly sure what happened but to me it looked like just a hit.”
In the morning, the Bruins announced that Carlo was released from the hospital.
Per Bruce Cassidy, Brandon Carlo was released from the hospital this morning and is now back home. #NHLBruins
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 6, 2021
Wilson has been suspended four times by DoPS in the past, including a 20-game suspension (later lowered to fourteen) for an illegal check to the head on Oskar Sundqvist in 2018.
Tom Wilson suspension history
- 9/27/2017 – 2 games for a hit (interference) on Robert Thomas
- 10/3/2017 – 4 games for a board on Sam Blais
- 5/4/2018 – 3 games for an illegal check to the head of Zach Aston-Reese
- 10/3/2018 – 20 games (later reduced to 14) for an illegal check to the head on Oskar Sundqvist
