Tom Wilson is currently sitting out seven games after a big hit to Brandon Carlo that sent the Bruins defenseman to the hospital. While the ban comes at a crucial time of the season for the Capitals, Tom and his knuckles will get time to heal for the stretch run.

Wilson recently posted a photo of himself sitting out his suspension and relaxing at home with his princess, Halle. If you look closely at the bottom right quadrant of the photo and enhance, Wilson’s knuckles look like the polar opposite of the man himself: brutal and hard to look at.

Wilson’s knuckles are still bruised, swollen, and scabbed nearly a week after mostly face-punching two different Bruins players, Jarred Tinordi and Trent Frederic.

MMA fighter Josh Thomson was impressed.

As you can see in the above videos, Wilson’s injuries are mostly not from punching plastic. Both Tinordi and Frederic’s helmets flew off early in the fight, allowing Tom to land left-handed jabs and overhand rights. It further illustrates the type of pain players have to grapple with long after choosing to drop the gloves. Wilson has broken his hand before in fights earlier in his career.

The pain is likely even worse for players when they land a majority of their punches to helmets like Brenden Dillon recently did in a one-sided bout against Nathan Bastian. The fight forced Dilly, not Bastian, off the ice and to the locker room afterward.

In the early 2010s, the NHL made a rule change where players would be given two-minute minors if they took off their helmets before fights to protect them. Of course, fighters found a loophole because who wants to be punching a visor.

Now, since the 2019-20 season, any player must immediately leave the ice if their helmets fall off unless, of course, they’re fighting.

Helmets: Subject to further consultation with the NHL Players’ Association on precise language, a Player on the ice whose helmet comes off during play must (a) exit the playing surface, or (b) retrieve and replace his helmet properly on his head (with or without his chin strap fastened). A Player who is making a play on the puck or who is in position to make an immediate play on the puck at the time his helmet comes off, shall be given a reasonable opportunity to complete the play before either exiting the ice or retrieving and replacing his helmet. Failure to comply with the above will result in a minor penalty being assessed on the offending player. A Player who intentionally removes an opponent’s helmet during play shall be assessed a minor penalty for roughing.

Headline photo courtesy of @tomwilson