‘That guy did not want to fight Tom’: Canada reacts to Wilson’s Olympic punch-up
Fighting isn’t technically allowed in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament, but that didn’t stop Canadian power forward Tom Wilson from engaging in some rare international fisticuffs in a 10-2 beatdown against France on Sunday.
With the victory already certain and time winding down, France forward Pierre Crinon caught Canada’s Nathan Mackinnon in the face with an elbow, sparking Wilson to stand up for his teammate with a level of physicality seldom seen in IIHF-sanctioned events.
“He elbowed me in the face, and I was nowhere near the puck,” MacKinnon said post-game. “That guy did not want to fight Tom. He just wanted to wrestle. I would not want to fight Tom either.”
Crinon was only handed a minor penalty for interference on the play before being ejected alongside Wilson for fighting.
OLYMPIC HOCKEY FIGHT 👀 Tom Wilson and France's Pierre Crinon go at it and each receive a game misconduct 🚨
While the IIHF has the option of an automatic one-game suspension, it will not impose such a penalty ahead of upcoming games, including the quarterfinal for Canada or the qualification playoffs for France.
“He did not like the hit on MacKinnon,” said Connor McDavid, who had a goal and two assists to bring him to nine points in three preliminary games. “He finished his check on him. Crinon and the other guy jumped him, and that is all Willie could have done, stick up for himself. Things happen.”
Referees were quick to swarm the scuffle between the two and did not allow the fight to fully engage as it would in the NHL, but it still brought more punches and physical play than seen in most international hockey under IIHF rules.
Crinnon, who at 30 currently plays with Grenoble of the French first division, held his ground against Wilson and even went in for a second effort after initially splitting the two apart. While Wilson quietly made his way off the ice, Crinon embraced the moment, riling up the crowd at the Milano Santiguilia Arena.
“That is a big part of what we are all about,” added Canadian head coach Jon Cooper. “This team is together; these guys would go through a wall for each other, and it’s fun to watch. We are used to a lot more happening. It was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things.”
For France, the fight didn’t quite suit their fancy. Goalscorer Sacha Treille added that “Sacha Treille,” with goaltender Antoine Keller saying it was “Not the best fight for both of the players. They just kind of fell and everything, but that’s hockey.”
With the perfect group stage and their most goals scored in a single game in the NHL era of Olympic men’s hockey, Canada now looks forward to a quarterfinal on Wednesday as the likely top seed from the group stage.
At the same time, France hopes to navigate a challenging qualification round on Tuesday.
Should Canada win the quarterfinal, it would secure a chance to play for a medal either in the bronze medal game on Saturday or the gold medal final on Sunday. Until then, Canada will have some time to rest and prepare for the Olympic experience.
“The stakes are higher, but that is why you put in so much preparation,” said captain Sidney Crosby. “That is why you work to get your identity as a team, so when you get to these big games.”
“On the days we don’t play, it is a little bit easier to try and catch [other events], but we have stayed pretty busy with practices and meetings. Any chance we get, whether it’s hockey or any other sport, it is fun to follow when you are here.”