Washington forward Tom Wilson was suspended for seven games due to his hit on the Boston defender Brandon Carlo Friday night.
Wilson had a teleconference with the Department of Player Safety on Saturday night, which indicated that a suspension would come longer than usual.
This will be the fifth suspension of Wilson’s career.
Here is the original hit, which was unpunished at the time:
Carlo left the game and was admitted to the hospital shortly thereafter.
From the NHL:
In the explanatory video, the Department of Player Safety seems, at least somewhat, to agree that Carlo is eligible to be hit on the play. They cite the “totality” of circumstances – including the contact with Carlo’s head and the seriousness of the hit – as judgment.
In 2018, Wilson was suspended for twenty games (later reduced to 14) due to his high hit on Oskar Sundqvist. He has not been suspended since, although he has been fined. Wilson was not considered a repeat offender in the decision to suspend or not, but his suspension history was offset in the length of his suspension.
Here is the full explanation of DoPS for the transcribed suspension.
As the video shows, Jakub Vrana approaches the Browns zone with Carlo defending against the blue line. He slides the bag into the corner and both players chase the loose disc at the back of the front while Wilson moves on support.
Carlo bumps Vrana at the same time and lifts his stick to try to own the disc. As he does so, Wilson moves from his support post to push Carlo.
As the kick bounces into Carlo’s skate as he tries to locate it, Wilson approaches from outside his field of vision and delivers a high hard hit that makes direct contact with Carlo’s head causing it to violently crash into the glass and cause injury. This is boarding.
The entry rule reads: “A penalty is imposed on any player who checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in any way, so that the opponent hits or hits the boards violently or dangerously.”
In this play, the combination of Carlo’s fight with Vrana combines, his head is low as he looks at the puck, and Wilson’s angle of attack to leave Carlo in a position where he is defenseless. Without his own fault, he cannot make contact, does not expect the hit, nor does he protect himself from Wilson approaching from outside his field of vision.
It is important to note that we agree with the Capitals argument that Wilson can deliver a hit on Carlo at this point in the play that does not result in complementary discipline. We acknowledge their statement that it is common for NHL players to legally hit on unsuspecting or vulnerable opponents. While there are aspects of this hit that can make the boundary between suspensible and non-suspensible, it is the totality of the circumstances that causes this play to deserve additional discipline.
What sets this hit apart from others is the direct and significant contact with a defenseless player’s face and head that causes a violent impact on the glass. It is a player with a substantial disciplinary record who exploits an opponent in a defenseless position and does so with considerable force.
Wilson will be eligible to return against the New York Rangers on March 20.
Inscription photo: Elizabeth Kong / RMNB