In the second period of the Caps’ 5-2 loss to the Blues, Tom Wilson and Robert Bortuzzo fought to settle past scores from the 2018 preseason. Their bout, coincidentally, ended up being in front of what appears to be two different families sitting along the glass.
They had very different reactions to the fight.
Tom Wilson has been suspended three times over the last two years due to dirty hits he delivered to St. Louis Blues players in the preseason. It’s been so bad, Wilson has vowed never to play a preseason game against the Blues ever again.
Thursday, in retribution for a headshot on Oskar Sundqvist, Robert Bortuzzo fought Tom Wilson at center ice. The second-period fight saw both players land several huge uppercuts until they fell to the ice.
By Cara Bahniuk 5 years ago
Last May, Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford suggested that Tom Wilson ducked Jamie Oleksiak in a fight after the Capitals forward landed a head hit on Zach Aston-Reese.
Eight months later, Wilson wasted no time giving Oleksiak a chance to settle the score, dropping his gloves with the Penguins enforcer during their first shift.
But Oleksiak didn’t get retribution. Instead, Wilson ended the fight with his fourth punch, knocking Oleksiak out with a haymaker to the side of the head.
Friday, NBC Sports Washington showed another angle of Wilson’s TKO punch from the other side of the ice and it’s… wow.
By Ian Oland 5 years ago
“They don’t like us, we don’t like them,” Tom Wilson said of the Capitals-Penguins rivalry after the Caps’ morning skate. “There’s your quote.”
Hours later, Wilson turned those words into violent action 55 seconds into the game, knocking out Jamie Oleksiak in a tough-to-watch fight.
By Ian Oland 5 years ago
Most hockey fights happen during games when teams want to even the score or retaliate for a bad hit. But during Blues practice Tuesday morning, it was two teammates who dropped the gloves and threw some hard punches.
According to the Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and former Capital Zach Sanford were in an intense battle drill and tempers boiled over.
By Brennin Weiswerda 5 years ago
34-year-old Alex Semin is currently playing in the KHL again after flirting with grad school.
Wednesday, Semin’s Vityaz lost 6-0 to SKA St. Petersberg, but the former Capitals forward left an indelible mark on the game.
And by “indelible mark” I mean blood.
Devante Smith-Pelly had an extreme ice adventure late in the first period against the Montreal Canadiens.
Smith-Pelly lost his skate blade after absorbing a rough run into the boards by Kenny Agostino.
This was problematic (and funny) because skating is hard without one of your skate blades. Who knew?
Somehow Tom Wilson has never had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in his NHL career — a goal, an assist, and a fighting major in the same game. Tonight, in his grand return to the lineup after a 14-game suspension, the Capitals forward could get one if he tallies an assist in the third period.
Wilson scored a goal (and a trip to the penalty box) in the first period after crashing the net. In the second stanza, Wilson fought Marcus Foligno in his first bout of the season.
There were an impressive amount of jabs.
After making the Opening Night roster, Capitals prospect Nathan Walker was optioned to the AHL last week after Travis Boyd returned from injury.
Saturday, Walker scored in his first game back in the Hershey Bears’ 3-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds. In Walker’s second contest, a 7-2 drubbing by the Syracuse Crunch, the Aussie forward got in his first fight of the year.
Wednesday evening, the Capitals romped the Boston Bruins, putting up a touchdown and extra point on the squad.
It was also a big night for many individual Caps players: Alex Ovechkin’s 608th goal, Nicklas Backstrom’s 800th assist, and a Braden Holtby assist which means he currently has more points than the entire Bruins roster.
But it was also a night for a not-so-great first: Lars Eller’s first career fight, which he was roped into because Brad Marchand was grumpy his team was getting pummeled. Marchand’s reason for fighting too was questionable.
By Julia Karron 5 years ago
