Team Canada’s Tom Wilson Fights At Olympics: Suspension Update

“No fighting in the Olympics, eh? Think again, says Tom Wilson,” posted Pierre LeBrun on social media Sunday when the Washington Capitals’ heavyweight mixed it up in the third period of Team Canada’s game against France.

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Wilson’s physicality makes him a unique player at these Olympics, and it’s his mix of willingness to drop the gloves and score 30 goals in an NHL season that makes him special. However, there is no fighting allowed at the Olympics, so Wilson was tossed from the game, as was France’s Pierre Crinon.

Crinon, who had previously elbowed Nathan MacKinnon in the face was on Wilson’s radar as the game was winding down. “I appreciate Tom sticking up for me. He’s a great teammate,” said MacKinnon after the game. There was some concern that MacKinnon suffered a minor injury, so it will be interesting to see if he plays in the next game or gets some rest time. “He’s a great guy off the ice and doing everything on the ice too … it takes a special person to do that, for sure.”

Wilson Good to Go for the Quarter Final

Elliotte Friedman noted that Wilson has been cleared for the quarterfinal. He had previously posted: “The fighting major assessed to Tom Wilson is not an automatic 1-game suspension. Further supplemental discipline could be imposed if the IIHF wished to do so, but it is not automatic as per the 2025-26 rulebook.”

Pierre LeBrun added, “…if the joint NHL-IIHF disciplinary committee saw something that it wanted to address, it could have. This was not the case in this instance. Wilson will get nothing further.” He added, “He can celebrate his Gordie Howe hat trick guilt-free.”

Wilson has been an important player for Team Canada, getting top-line time with Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Both superstars will be glad he’s available for the next game.

Next: McDavid and Crosby Make Olympic History in Canada’s Big Win