(Caps Outsider)
No, that wasn’t an earthquake that came out of New York around 8:30, it was just Tom Wilson shaking hockey Twitter to its core once more. But depending on your perspective, you either saw it is a goon doing goon things, or a modern day tough guy sticking up for his goalie after a few pokes to the pads looking for a loose puck.
In case you hadn’t seen the second period play, here you go.
Tom Wilson gets a 10-minute misconduct for punching Buchnevich in the head on the ground and body slamming Panarin pic.twitter.com/fg2HRej8yD
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) May 4, 2021
https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1389383232051892225
In addition to the actions surrounding Wilson, there seemed to be a kick from Pavel Buchnevich towards Caps’ netminder Vitek Vanecek.
Here is the kick pic.twitter.com/HvWMK4RI3b
— Brandon Alter (@brandon__alter) May 4, 2021
But before people saw the whole incident, the takes started rolling in. Both pro and anti-Wilson.
Here's the play that's triggered Overreacting To Things Tom Wilson Does twitter. https://t.co/lSjdGsJwVe
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 4, 2021
that big ol suspension he got sure taught him a big ol lesson https://t.co/gITS3yEEGt
— 🦖 ryan lambert 🦕 (@twolinepass) May 4, 2021
just a true psycho
— 🦖 ryan lambert 🦕 (@twolinepass) May 4, 2021
https://twitter.com/madchadd412/status/1388667539119644672
Hockey player punches another hockey player in the back of the head: Hockey Twitter yawns.
Tom Wilson punches a hockey player in the back of the head: Hockey Twitter says suspend him for life.
— Eric Fingerhut (@ericfingerhut) May 4, 2021
The examples go on and will continue to go on. Even the respective coaches in David Quinn and Peter Laviolette had different thoughts.
"We all saw it. There are lines that can't be crossed in this game. Just zero respect." – Rangers coach David Quinn on Tom Wilson.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 4, 2021
Rangers coach David Quinn, when asked what can be done about Tom Wilson: “The league’s been dealing with this for a while. That’s an answer for somebody else."
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 4, 2021
Laviolette on the 2nd period scrum: "I thought it was just a scrum"
— JJ Regan (@JJRegan41) May 4, 2021
The reality, like in most cases, likely lies somewhere in the middle. Does Wilson overstep? The answer without question is yes. His track record of suspensions supports that. Is he also a skilled player? Absolutely. There is a reason he was drafted in the first round and plays top-six minutes in Washington.
Is Wilson sometimes a victim of his reputation? Possibly. When else does the league release a video that they aren’t suspending a player? Does he also deserve extra scrutiny because of his long list of supplemental discipline? Possibly.
However once again, the decision will come down to the Department of Player Safety to handout a ruling. And depending on your perspective, it will either be way to0 long or nowhere near enough.
But that will be the final word, much to everyone’s dissatisfaction.
