Penguins furious Wilson was laughing after hit that broke Aston-Reese’s jaw
Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has become the No. 1 villain in the National Hockey League playoffs.
After knocking out Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Brian Dumoulin from Game 2 of their second-round series with a hit to the head, he levied a huge shoulder-to-head hit on Zach AstonReese that left the forward bloodied, with a broken jaw and concussion in Game 3.
Neither play was penalized, though Wilson will have a hearing Wednesday with the NHL’s department of player safety for the hit on Aston-Reese, the NHL announced on Twitter.
This time, though, Wilson drew criticism not just for the hit but also for being seen laughing on the bench in the immediate moments following it as AstonReese struggled to get off the ice.
“It’s disrespectful,” Penguins defenceman Justin Schultz said after the 4-3 loss, according to the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. “A guy is hurt laying on the ice. It’s not too good to be laughing at someone like that.”
Penguins defenceman Kris Letang, who has received a number of huge hits and suffered injuries from them during his career, was not happy with Wilson’s reaction.
“I get the physical game. I get the physical play,” Letang said. “I’ve been on the wrong side of it. At the end of the day, I respect what kind of game he plays. But you don’t laugh at somebody getting hurt. You just ... you don’t do that.”
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Tim Benz, Letang was yelling at Wilson from the bench during a stoppage in play, “Yeah. Laugh! Laugh again!”
Wilson, 24, is a six-foot-four, 218-pound forward who has been more known in his five-season career for playing on the edge (806 penalty minutes) than his other on-ice contributions. Wilson was suspended twice for preseason infractions.
Wilson, who has been effective in the playoffs with seven points in nine games, was not made available to reporters after the game. He spoke prior to Game 3, saying, “I’ve always prided myself on being an honest player.”
“(Wilson) is a unique player,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said after Game 3. “There are few Tom Wilsons in the league. That’s why he is very effective.”
The NHL’s on-site supervisor, Paul Devorski, said the referees came together to discuss the hit and said, “You know what, we’ve got a good, clean check here.”
The Pens, who trail the series 2-1, thought otherwise.
“At some point, we would hope that the league might do something,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s a high hit, what else can I say?”