Tom Wilson either fears no large enforcer in the NHL or maybe thought the hockey world could not handle forthright information when taking a fan-submitted question from Sportsnet’s Scott Oake after the Washington Capitals’ 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
The longtime Sportsnet reporter asked Wilson a question from @KeyzerSoze on X: “Numerous other players have said they fear being on the ice with [Wilson] most in the NHL & have to keep their heads up. Who’s the player he fears most stepping on the ice with, or has to always be prepared to battle?”
“Oh, that’s a good question,” Wilson said, taking a second to ponder his response. He then answered the question a wee bit differently than intended, praising the top player on the hometown telecast — a player nicknamed Huggy.
“You know, over the years, it’s changed,” Wilson said. “When I came in, first couple years, there were some pretty scary guys. But they usually let me be.
“Nowadays, the game’s evolved a lot,” Wilson said. “Some of the guys that are the hardest to play against are the skilled D-men, the guys that can really scoot. I mean, a guy like Quinn Hughes, it’s really hard for me to forecheck those types of players. The game’s adapted a ton: there’s so much skill, there’s so much speed. I think sometimes, it’s those little guys that are hardest for me to play my game because they can get in and out of pressure and create a lot of space for themselves with skill.”
Somewhere, I’m guessing, Ryan Reaves is disappointed about his answer.
Hughes lived up to Wilson’s assessment on the scoresheet Saturday night. Using his speed and stick-handling, Hughes scored twice against the Capitals, including the game-winning goal with a seeing-eye point shot that eluded several players standing in front of Washington’s net.
The NHL’s reigning Norris Trophy winner, though, is not the definition of scary in a literal sense — he’s 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds soaking wet.
