In 2017, Tom Wilson was suspended the first four games of the regular season after an illegal check he delivered in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues. Unfortunately for Wilson, history may be repeating itself.
Wilson was ejected from Sunday’s preseason finale, again against the Blues, for a hit he delivered to St. Louis forward Oskar Sundqvist that left Sundqvist motionless on the ice. He would have to be helped off by teammates.
The hit occurred in the second period of the game. Sundqvist skated into the offensive zone and shot the puck just before he was hit up high by Wilson. It appears from the replay that the principal point of contact was the head.
Officially, Wilson received a five-minute major and a match penalty for an illegal check to the head.
Wilson could potentially face supplemental discipline for the hit. What certainly will not help is the fact that he is considered a repeat offender by the Department of Player Safety.
Wilson was suspended two preseason games in 2017 for a hit to Blues forward Robert Thomas, four regular season games at the start of the 2017-18 season for a check to Blues defenseman Sammy Blais and three games in the playoffs for a hit to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese that left Aston-Reese with a broken jaw.
The fact that Sundqvist had to be helped off the ice also will not help Wilson’s cause as the DoPS takes injuries into account when considering supplemental discipline.
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