Blue Line Station
Fansided

Let’s talk about Tom Wilson

By Steve Paulus

Colin Blackwell #43 of the New York Rangers checks Tom Wilson #43 into Dmitry Orlov #9 of the Washington Capitals Credit: Bruce Bennett/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports
Colin Blackwell #43 of the New York Rangers checks Tom Wilson #43 into Dmitry Orlov #9 of the Washington Capitals Credit: Bruce Bennett/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals takes a roughing penalty during the second period against Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on May 03, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals takes a roughing penalty during the second period against Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on May 03, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

What the referees missed

Panarin threw no punches, he grabbed Wilson when he and Nic Dowd had tackled Ryan Strome and Wilson was throwing punches at Strome.

Not a single Ranger threw a punch. All Strome did was pull Wilson off a defenseless Buchnevich.  All Panarin did was pull Wilson off a defenseless Strome.

How on earth does Tom Wilson who threw punches at Buchnevich, Strome and Panarin get a double minor for roughing while Nic Dowd gets nothing and Buchnevich and Panarin get the same penalties as Wilson?

One more thing.  Here is NHL rule 27.6: Leaving Goal Crease – A minor penalty shall be imposed on a goalkeeper who leaves the immediate vicinity of his crease during an altercation. In addition, he shall be subject to a fine of two hundred dollars ($200) and this incident shall be reported to the Commissioner for such further disciplinary action as may be required.

Watch the clip.  Vanecek is clearly in the crease while the melee is happening. At one point, he leaves the crease and comes over and pulls a Ranger off one of the Capitals. That’s a penalty.

Wilson’s antics in the penalty box could have warranted an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as well.

So, if Panarin, Buchnevich and Brenden Dillon deserved roughing penalties, so did Dowd and Strome.  Vanecek should have gotten a minor for leaving the crease and Wilson should have minimally gotten five minutes for fighting.  He could have also gotten a game misconduct for his actions and his antics in the penalty box.

The penalties, as assessed, were a joke.

Defending the stars

The NHL is headed for a disaster if they fail to protect their best players.  Can you imagine what the reaction would be if Wilson did this to Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews or Steven Stamkos?  If Wilson gets away with this, it would demonstrate a clear bias against Panarin, a Russian player.

Home/Editorials