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Capitals' Tom Wilson shocked by reaction to brawl vs. Rangers

Tom Wilson doesn’t see anything wrong with his actions from Monday night’s game against the New York Rangers.

On Friday, the Washington Capitals forward spoke to the media for the first time since cheap-shotting Pavel Buchnevich and throwing superstar Artemi Panarin to the ice — and he didn’t seem very remorseful.

“After the play, I would have never thought that all this would have blown up,” Wilson told reporters. “It seemed [like a] fairly routine hockey scrum to me and I think that was kind of the feeling from both players in the box and then obviously it took on a new life after the game.”

The repeat offender didn’t receive a suspension for his actions, just a meagre $5,000 fine, the maximum allowable for the infraction.

Tom Wilson spoke to the media on Friday for the first time since he spraked a brawl between the Capitals and Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Tom Wilson spoke to the media on Friday for the first time since he spraked a brawl between the Capitals and Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

As a result of his recklessness, Panarin suffered a lower-body injury which has sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Wilson said he’s reached out to the Rangers forward since the altercation.

“I'm glad Panarin is doing well,” Wilson said. “He's better. I reached out to him, and that's really what matters right now.”

Wilson himself picked up an injury in Wednesday’s game against New York, a contest that predictably got out of hand after the NHL decided against suspending him. There were six fights in total, including one between Wilson and Rangers blueliner Brendan Smith. Wilson did note on Thursday that he is “feeling good.”

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