The Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames are both chippy teams and Tuesday, during the third period of their game against each other, the matchup devolved into chirping and taunts after Tom Wilson got decked by 6-foot-8 Flames forward Adam Klapka into the side boards. As Wilson tried to get up, Klapka cross-checked the 2018 Stanley Cup champion back down to the ice, earning a two-minute minor on the play. Wilson laid on the ice holding his side in pain (Editor’s note: Please remember this last part for later in the story).
Eventually, Wilson shot back up under his own power and skated over to Klapka to have a discussion about his cheap shot and perhaps his toughness. As the two were separated, the veteran Wilson showed the second-year Czech the dignity he thought he deserved by acting as if he was trying to read the nameplate on the back of the Flames player’s jersey to figure out who he was.
tom telling klapka to turn around so he could see who he is pic.twitter.com/u03NAFG2ow
— noah (@capsboybebop) January 29, 2025
The hit seemed to awaken Wilson to the more juvenile aspects of his game — to the delight of everyone.
With 4:27 remaining, Wilson and chief Calgary chirper, Rasmus Andersson, had their own moment after Connor McMichael was penalized for tripping Nazem Kadri. When the whistle blew, Andersson sarcastically held his side with Wilson feet away, bending over in faux-pain and screaming “OW! OW! OW!” Andersson, you see, was suggesting the Capitals’ winger dived.
Wilson, as you can imagine, didn’t appreciate that gamesmanship so he grabbed Andersson by the jersey and the two had an intimate chat. They were both given unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, so their conversation continued in the penalty box.
RMNB reader KP, who was at the game, wrote to us, “I wish I got a video but Tom Wilson turned around to the fans banging the glass behind the penalty box during the TV timeout and did crying faces at them. Wilson appeared to say, ‘sit down boys.’ Then he spent five minutes making fun of Rasmus Andersson.”
Wilson’s most memorable moment there was when, at some point, he imitated how Andersson wears his helmet high on his head.
As the penalties expired, Aliaksei Protas scored on a breakaway to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead. Wilson made sure to let Andersson know in his own Tom way.
“I mean, it’s emotions, right?” Andersson said in a video posted to Sportsnet. “I know he gets triggered by certain stuff. It’s emotions. When you look back at it, it’s all good on my part at least.
“It’s not the first time we chirp each other. It was pretty quiet until the end. I got him going, he got me going. It worked out for them. It’s all fun and it’s part of it in my opinion at least.”
Meanwhile, in the victorious Capitals locker room, the Caps admitted the banter between Wilson and Andersson was very amusing.
“It’s an intense game and tempers can flare sometimes,” Piere-Luc Dubois said smiling. “I know Mikey (Connor McMichael) said he was trying not to laugh in the penalty box. We were laughing on the bench, that’s for sure.”
“I was laughing too,” Logan Thompson said, admitting he felt fortunate his mask could hide his face. “Looking up at the Jumbotron and seeing Tom and him go back and forth, it’s funny. You can’t help but laugh.
“It’s awesome,” he added. “Those are fun games to be a part of. I love that stuff. I love Tom. It was funny, for sure. I was enjoying it.”
Andrew Mangiapane, who was playing in his homecoming game against his former team in Calgary, is best friends with Andersson.
“I was laughing for most of that I think,” Mangiapane said. “Hopefully there’s no video or panning to me on that play. Yeah, but that’s Razzy for you, he likes to chirp and get under people’s skin and so does Willy. So it worked out perfect.”
According to Andersson, Mangiapane got a little too close for comfort earlier in the game.
“He touched my beard a little bit after,” the Flames forward said. “I wanted a power play and not doing anything back. Then I saw it was him and giggle.”
As for who won the war of words, Mangipane was unwilling to declare a victor.
“Yeah I don’t even know,” he said. “I’m sure that they both said some good chirps back and forth there.”
