Tom Wilson was back to his worst behavior.
The Capitals’ notorious enforcer started another scuffle during the team’s Game 4 clash against the Rangers on Sunday night at Capital One Arena, though this one was sparked in peculiar fashion.
After Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal in the final minute of the first period gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead, Wilson went after Blueshirts defenseman Adam Fox as the latter was skating over to join the rest of his teammates in celebration.
It’s unclear if Fox said something to Wilson as he skated past him to prompt him.
Regardless, it began a small fracas as Chris Kreider and Trocheck subsequently went after Wilson to support their teammate.
And Wilson was subsequently issued a roughing penalty.
True to form, Wilson has been involved in numerous controversial incidents in the first-round series between the two rivals, which the Rangers entered Sunday up 3-0.
He made two questionable hits on Mika Zibanejad in Game 1, and fought with Braden Schneider later in the game.
In Game 2, Wilson and Will Cuylle got into a fight, which the Rangers rookie certainly held his own in.
“It’s been good,” Cuylle said of his fight with Wilson after the game. “Obviously, you want to compete out there against other competitors. I used to watch him a lot when I was younger. It’s pretty cool.”
Wilson and the Rangers have a long, and ugly, history.
During a May 3, 2021 clash between the teams, Wilson cross-checked former Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head.
When Artemi Panarin subsequently went at Wilson for the hit, Wilson slammed the helmet-less Panarin onto the ice, knocking him out for the rest of the season.
But the NHL only gave Wilson a $5,000 fine and didn’t suspend him, which prompted the Rangers to issue one of the strongest statements in franchise history, in which they called for NHL head of player safety George Parros to be fired.
“The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden,” the Rangers said in the statement. “Wilson is a repeat offender with a long history of these types of acts and we find it shocking that the NHL and their department of player safety failed to take the appropriate action and suspend him indefinitely. Wilson’s dangerous and reckless actions caused an injury to Artemi Panarin that will prevent him from playing again this season. We view this is a dereliction of duty by NHL head of player safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role.”
