There’s seemingly no player that Tom Wilson is shy to drop his gloves with (no matter what Ryan Reaves says). During his 10-year career in the NHL, Tom’s fought 76 different times.
But on Sunday, Tom admitted that he got apprehensive and had to set limits for himself when asked to fight.
According to Wilson, he was challenged by Blue Jackets winger Mathieu Olivier during the second period. Wilson was playing in his first game back from major knee surgery in May 2022.
“He wanted to fight and I just said ‘hey give me a game to get my body back into it here,'” Wilson said laughing. “It’s fun going up against those guys but I had to politely decline at that point in the game.”
The Capitals were nursing a 1-0 lead and usually enforcers don’t drop the gloves in situations like that to not risk reversing their own team’s momentum.
“Those are the great parts of hockey and why you play the game and the passion, the competitive nature,” Wilson said. “[Olivier] is a tough player, plays honest plays hard.”
Before Sunday, Wilson hadn’t played on NHL ice since the first round of the playoffs last season, when he tore his ACL in Game One against the Florida Panthers. Wilson went through a lengthy seven-month recovery process to regain strength in his knee. He skated for the first time again on October 26th, working with fellow recovery partner Nicklas Backstrom. He officially returned to practice December 9th and was skating in full contact jersey by the 21st.
Wilson, who was given the start from head coach Peter Laviolette, said his knee was immediately tested in Sunday’s game, taking a hit on the very first shift.
“And I was like, ‘Okay I guess it held up, we can move on from there,'” Wilson said. “You put in the work, everyone tells you you’re good to go, but it’s different testing it at the NHL level. Happy to get that one out of the way and felt a little better than I thought out there. It’s definitely overwhelming when you get out there, the music, the fans, and you know it’s a fast game. You have to just take it in stride and do your best.”
Wilson will reportedly wear a hinged brace on his knee for likely the rest of the season. While Wilson did not register a point in the game, he did dole out six hits and put one shot on goal in 14:10 of ice time. He also noted that he began to feel better and more comfortable with each shift he took. While the game didn’t go perfect, it did remind him of what is important.
“There’s nothing better than the day-to-day of playing in the NHL,” Wilson said. “It’s a huge privilege, a huge honor, you can’t take it for granted.”
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
