Tom Wilson is in the news again, this time for his actions in yesterday's thrashing of the New York Rangers. Midway through the second period, while on the penalty kill, Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich crashed the net and tried to poke loose the puck after Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanacek had gained control. Wilson, like every hockey player in the sport's history, decided to defend his goalie, and punched and tried to drag Buchnevich away from the crease. Vanacek appeared slow to get up, first rising to his knees, bent over on all fours, although there was no indication that he was hurt on the play - I presume that he was catching his breath or collecting himself, given that he had allowed three straight goals in less than seven minutes.
In doing so, he appropriately earned a minor penalty for roughing, for his punch on the prone Buchnevich's upper back/shoulder/neck. The Rangers, as is standard, defended their teammate, causing a massive pileup, starting with Ryan Strome trying to grab our beloved Top Line Tommy. Wilson, who was now engaged with Strome, was surprised by Rangers star Artemi Panarin, joined by Buchnevich, both jumping on his back while Wilson was bent over at the waist. Wilson, showing his strength, stood up and engaged with Panarin, which, as expected, further enraged the Rangers. Somehow the two were able to separate themselves from the group, and Wilson forcibly slammed Panarin to the ice, with the latter losing his helmet in the process. Wilson then threw two punches at Panarin, who tried to stand up before getting pushed back to the ice. The linesmen immediately jumped on Wilson and broke up the scrum.
The penalties assessed on the play:
Tom Wilson 2 minutes for roughing Pavel Buchnevich
Tom Wilson 2 minutes for roughing Artemi Panarin
Tom Wilson 10 minute misconduct
Brendan Dillon 2 minutes for roughing Pavel Buchnevich
Artemi Panarin 2 minutes for roughing Tom Wilson
Pavel Buchnevich 2 minutes for roughing Brendan Dillon
Resulting in a 2 minute Rangers power play, and Tom Wilson missing around 16 minutes of game time due to no immediate whistle following the completion of his misconduct penalty. Tom Wilson was fined $5,000 today, May 4th, and the Rangers also announced that Panarin will unfortunately miss the remainder of the season. The Rangers also cried that NHL disciplinarian George Parros should be fired for not bending to their every whim.
First, the referees mostly got everything correct. Dillon did not deserve a 2 minute penalty, since he was clearly trying to break things up. However, the Rangers also obviously should have gotten a power play - Wilson could have gotten an additional minor for roughing and there would be no complaints from this corner. Buchnevich probably should have gotten a misconduct as well, since he was clearly escalating the situation, but we are totally fine with no additional penalties being called on the play.
Second, the NHL got things exactly right. Wilson should have gotten additional discipline, without missing any games, because he did not actually punch Buchnevich's head into the ice as Rangers fans, blinded by rage, have argued. It would be totally unprecedented, and would almost assuredly be overturned on appeal, for Wilson to be suspended for punching a player's jersey, as he did. It is appropriate to fine him, since he did throw a punch at a defenseless player, and was largely responsible for the situation that followed (he was, again, in the right for defending his goalie). $5,000 is the largest fine per the CBA, so there is no room for complaint that he should have been levied a larger fine.
Third, the Rangers' assertion that Wilson should have been suspended is based on the interpretation of his actions against Panarin, who, again, began the engagement between the two of them by literally jumping on Wilson's back while he was engaged with a different player. According to Rangers propaganda, Wilson not only intentionally knocked off Panarin's helmet, but then grabbed his hair and tried to slam him into the ice on his head. There is zero evidence of this, and numerous third party hockey reporters have argued that this narrative is incorrect. Wilson did slam Panarin, who weighs 50 pounds less than Wilson, but Panarin landed on his shoulder. Panarin did not sustain a head injury, which would almost assuredly have happened had he landed on his head. Wilson's two punches to Panarin rightfully earned him a roughing penalty, but given that Wilson has a history of punching faces resulting in head injuries, and that Wilson's gloves remained on throughout the entire altercation, should be evidence enough of his complete and total lack of intent on injuring Panarin.
It is presumed that the NHL viewed the scrum involving Wilson as two separate events: the punch to Buchnevich and the wrestling with Panarin. The punch resulted in a fine, and the wrestling was deemed a normal play with a bad result, and so was not addressed by the NHL (the NHL does not comment on incidents that do not result in supplementary discipline, to include providing a reason for taking no action).
All this being said, one major question remains. If the roles were reversed and Wilson jumped on an opposing player's back while he was engaged with another Capital, would the Rangers organization and fans give him a pass as they have done to Panarin? I think any disinterested third party can guess the answer to that one: not a fucking chance.
At the end of the day, Panarin, and the Rangers as a whole, bit off way more than they could chew, and paid an unfortunately steep price. It is profoundly stupid to argue that Wilson should not have responded to Panarin, as Rangers Head Coach David Quinn has implied, that due to his star status, he should not have been touched. It bears repeating: Panarin engaged Wilson, not the other way around. Wilson did not go into a pile looking to hurt Panarin. Panarin physically jumped on Wilson's back, while the latter was engaged with Ryan Strome. Wilson has the right to defend himself, which he did while showing great restraint.
The NHL got this one mostly right. Kudos to Parros.
We also wish a speedy recovery to the Bread Man, who has been one of our favorite players since he broke into the league. Panarin clearly loves the sport, and the sport loves him back. No one outside of Philadelphia wants to see him get injured.
We are looking forward to tomorrow's rematch.
