Wilson high hit on Aston Reese UPD: 3 Game Suspension *Warning p. #65*

[Incognito]

Debunking the rumors of Caps-Pens Game Three
Wilson wasn't laughing at Aston-Reese and last I checked its acceptable for him to smile and laugh under normal circumstances.

This wasn't under normal circumstances though. He just injured a guy so badly that he needs surgery. Even if Wilson wasn't laughing directly at Aston-Reese, he was still in a pretty cheerful mood for someone who just caused serious bodily harm to another human. I think most people would probably feel pretty solemn, contrite, and not really in the mood for jokes immediately after something like that.

 

[aufheben]

4000+ posts??? wow

At least 2,000 of them are people giving us live updates of the post count.

 

[ryerockarola]

Don Cherry saying Wilson got an extra game for laughing at a guy after breaking his jaw, you don't do that kids, gets you an extra game!

 

[MikeyMike01]

Don Cherry saying Wilson got an extra game for laughing at a guy after breaking his jaw, you don't do that kids, gets you an extra game!

Remorse is generally taken into consideration in judicial matters, yes.

 

[BGDDYKWL]

Things have been learnt since the mid 90’s

This is the same problem football is experiencing right now. These guys are playing a game for a living and getting paid a ton to do so. They know the risks. Most on these boards would sign up in a second.

You would. And the game in the mid 90s was brutal. The game today is faster and played at a much higher skill level. And there's still hitting.

The game was never better. It was the best of both worlds. Guys were much bigger/tougher, the game was much more physical, and there were A LOT more genuine tough guys in the league. It's getting closer and closer to soccer on ice.

that was before we knew anything about CTE.

Hits like this, we now know, open the league up for multi billion dollar lawsuits.

20 years from now, when the NHL is facing massive litigation from families of players who died in their 50s due to CTE... Tom Wilson, and the league’s turning a blind eye to his play, will be plaintiff’s exhibit 1.

As I mentioned above. These guys are playing a game that most here would play for free, and they're getting paid millions to do so. They know what they're signing up for. If the risks aren't worth it to them they're free to leave at any time. One waiver saying you can't sue the league due to potential health related aftereffects and the problem is solved.

No you wouldn't. Stop lying with your wack ass romanticism of 90's hockey.

This is an absolute fact. Either you didn't watch in the 90's or you're lying to yourself. You're telling me there weren't more hitters/fighters in the league in the 90's than there are now? Enforcers have gone the way of the dinosaur, and big hitters get penalized/suspended every time you look so they can't run guys anymore. If you think there's as much hitting when it's FAR more regulated (and punished) now, I'm sorry but that argument just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Tom Hanks]

This is the same problem football is experiencing right now. These guys are playing a game for a living and getting paid a ton to do so. They know the risks. Most on these boards would sign up in a second.

I couldn’t because of my own brain injuries.

Most players are fine and are pretty aware of it all. The NHL just needs to come down hard on those that do. Also reword some of these rules to make it explicitly clear then hand out big suspensions. That would solve a lot of the problems.

 

[66-30-33]

Thanks Wilson, glad we can count on you for another dumb thing.

 

[nbonaddio]

This is an absolute fact. Either you didn't watch in the 90's or you're lying to yourself. You're telling me there weren't more hitters/fighters in the league in the 90's than there are now? Enforcers have gone the way of the dinosaur, and big hitters get penalized/suspended every time you look so they can't run guys anymore. If you think there's as much hitting when it's FAR more regulated (and punished) now, I'm sorry but that argument just doesn't make any sense.

This is a bizarre take. Why in the world would the NHL want talentless goons like Tom Wilson in the league? They're an entertainment product; a greater majority of people are entertained by goals and skilled play than by MMA on ice.

The league wants casual fans. The league wants superstars they can market. The league doesn't want to deal with the myriad issues that the NFL is grappling with in regards to concussions and player safety. Being proactive on all of these fronts is the only way it survives, and literally nothing about Tom Wilson or that play fits into that mindset.

The mid-90s were a shit era for the league. Mario and Yzerman and others should have been putting up 150+ points year in and year out, but instead they let a bunch of slow, talentless pylons usher in an era of boring people to death. That wasn't a recipe for the growth of the game then, and it sure as hell isn't now that we're more informed about the effects of head injuries.

 

[HuskerTornado]

3 PO games for a hit that was mostly head on, with the majority of impact being shoulder is absurd. Just make open ice hitting a penalty and be done with it.

 

[TNT87]

Can you imagine what would have happened to ZAR if the majority of the impact wasn't on the shoulder!!

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Part of Oshie's response on ESPN:
"Yes, his head gets hit. But there's been a million times when I've gotten hit, I go to the ref, I say I was hit in the head, and the ref just says, 'He's bigger than you.' That's the way it goes. I've gotten blown up a couple times this year, and I didn't complain about it."

He went on to say,

"In fact, that's why I decided to jump a foot into the air to run Letang at the end of Game 4, because head safety doesn't matter."

 

[Rangers ftw]

Can you imagine what would have happened to ZAR if the majority of the impact wasn't on the shoulder!!

A broken jaw and a concussion?

 

[Bengan]

I still can’t believe that animal Wilson could do this. And that sack of filth Oshie, that uses the suspension as some sort of motivation. What twisted, deranged way of thinking is that?

What infuriates me the most is that eternal playoff choker Barry Trotz, that, considering the Orpik incident last year, obviously encourages this.

 

[dlawong]

With both the speed of the game being faster, player bigger and their equipment more bulkier and harder than in the past decades when a player coming fast and hard against an opponent close or right at the head area, it could cause injuries just like this one. Also before the last few years very little are know about the long lasting effect of concussion. Yes the players sign up for the risks and earns big dollars but the league probably would not to see someone dies before they do something about it, especially if it happens to one of their superstars.

I do not hate Wilson but hope that he will learn to do better to avoid the heads knowing that he is a big player. He has some talents and can focus more on just using his talents to contribute. If he does not wise up, he one day may regret what he does if someone go down really hard and paralyze for life. I think the suspension is good for him so he would not have to leave with that kind of guilt if it ever gets that bad. I do believe players can change their behaviors and should be given second chance to show that he can. It is like a person who drinks and drive and get away with no accidents many times until one day he got into a real bad one. It would be smarter for him to adopt his game and I do not think he will lose his job just because of that.

 

[CapsDC]

Can you imagine what would have happened to ZAR if the majority of the impact wasn't on the shoulder!!

It doesn't really matter where impact starts when you're a little peanut getting trucked by a much bigger stronger man. There will be collateral damage all over your body. Happens all the time in football. ZAR took one for his team though and I think Pitt has a great chance of closing this series out while Wilson is sitting

 

[TooManyHumans]

It doesn't really matter where impact starts when you're a little peanut getting trucked by a much bigger stronger man.

Of course it maters where the impact is. If ZAR is hit in the chest or shoulder as the main point of contact he doesn't get his jaw broken. The freakin DOPS video has painful, slowmo replays of the moment the shoulder hits the jaw and the jaw shoots sideways. Watch it. Bad hit. People need to stop trying to explain it away. Lots of big guys in the NHL manage to hit without breaking jaws. In the same series Oleksiak is much bigger than Wilson and yet he doesn't consistently clobber people in the head.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

It doesn't really matter where impact starts when you're a little peanut getting trucked by a much bigger stronger man. There will be collateral damage all over your body. Happens all the time in football. ZAR took one for his team though and I think Pitt has a great chance of closing this series out while Wilson is sitting

The nonsense that Wilson is a difference maker is comical and bizarre as hell. He’s simply a dirtball that intentionally tries to take out other players and has no respect for the game. Any moron can do that. It isn’t some unique skill.

The Pens have players they can bring up from the A to run around all game and be a brainless ape like Wilson. His only claim to fame and reason for being in the NHL is because he’s the dirtiest player in the league.

It doesn’t take talent to keep head hunting other players, it just takes being a mental midget like Wilson.

 

[CapsDC]

Of course it maters where the impact is. If ZAR is hit in the chest or shoulder as the main point of contact he doesn't get his jaw broken. The freakin DOPS video has painful, slowmo replays of the moment the shoulder hits the jaw and the jaw shoots sideways. Watch it. Bad hit. People need to stop trying to explain it away. Lots of big guys in the NHL manage to hit without breaking jaws. In the same series Oleksiak is much bigger than Wilson and yet he doesn't consistently clobber people in the head.

I've watched it. Everyone seems pretty split on whether it was legal or not, it's not like it was cut & dry head hunting. Point is contact can start in the shoulder(which it did) and still destroy someone's face if their body completely crumbles(which it did). It's been discussed ad nauseum so I'm not really interested in getting into it, I doubt anyone else wants to either. I was expecting a suspension because the force he exerted was excessive and he hurt the guy badly, didn't expect 3 games though. But it is what it is, ultimately it was Wilson's decision to go in there balls out on a much smaller guy and the league is basically saying don't do that, which in this day & age of head trauma knowledge probably isn't wrong

 

[TooManyHumans]

I've watched it. Everyone seems pretty split on whether it was legal or not, it's not like it was cut & dry head hunting. Point is contact can start in the shoulder(which it did) and still destroy someone's face if their body completely crumbles(which it did). It's been discussed ad nauseum so I'm not really interested in getting into it, I doubt anyone else wants to either. I was expecting a suspension because the force he exerted was excessive and he hurt the guy badly, didn't expect 3 games though. But it is what it is, ultimately it was Wilson's decision to go in there balls out on a much smaller guy and the league is basically saying don't do that, which in this day & age of head trauma knowledge probably isn't wrong

You're not interested in getting into it yet you just did as a way to try to excuse it. The reverse angles make it blatantly clear that the main point of contact was Wilson's shoulder to ZAR's head. It was bad hit. I don't get why people can't just admit that without trying to explain it away. Wilson has a history of doing this and he got caught and punished. Plenty of big guys throw hits without targeting heads. Plenty of little guys get hit by big guys without having their heads targeted. If it were so unavoidable a guy like Sheary would have had his head taken off long ago and been out of the league. Miraculously that hasn't happened. Apparently other larger players have figured out how to hit without targeting heads. Wilson needs to learn.

 

[CapsDC]

You're not interested in getting into it yet you just did as a way to try to excuse it. The reverse angles make it blatantly clear that the main point of contact was Wilson's shoulder to ZAR's head. It was bad hit. I don't get why people can't just admit that without trying to explain it away. Wilson has a history of doing this and he got caught and punished. Plenty of big guys throw hits without targeting heads. Plenty of little guys get hit by big guys without having their heads targeted. If it were so unavoidable a guy like Sheary would have had his head taken off long ago and been out of the league. Miraculously that hasn't happened. Apparently other larger players have figured out how to hit without targeting heads. Wilson needs to learn.

Nobody knows exactly what he was targeting. The video shows them both squaring up and dropping shoulders. Just like in football when you hit you drive into and up to get leverage and he did it and destroyed a much smaller guy. I'm not going to get into for the 100th time in this thread though because it doesn't matter, he's suspended and I don't really disagree with that. I do think it was a bad hit and warranted suspension because of how excessive it was. He could've nailed the guy without hurting him but he always tries to level the biggest hit possible and this time was too careless.

And people saying Wilson is just a goon and isn't important to the Caps success lose all credibility

 

[Smiggie Balls]

I love how the title lets me know exactly where to go to find some good ole down home pettiness

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Yep, a guy who came into these playoffs with five points in 41 playoff games is a real difference maker.

Has to leach off two talented players to produce. What a difference maker.

 

[kladorf2005]

Nobody knows exactly what he was targeting. The video shows them both squaring up and dropping shoulders. Just like in football when you hit you drive into and up to get leverage and he did it and destroyed a much smaller guy. I'm not going to get into for the 100th time in this thread though because it doesn't matter, he's suspended and I don't really disagree with that. I do think it was a bad hit and warranted suspension because of how excessive it was. He could've nailed the guy without hurting him but he always tries to level the biggest hit possible and this time was too careless.

And people saying Wilson is just a goon and isn't important to the Caps success lose all credibility

First of all, props to you for the bolded.

I will admit that Wilson deserves more credit than his haters give him credit for (myself included). However, he needs to modify his game. What good is he sitting on the sidelines? His constant urge to deliver the over the top hit is always going to leave him vulnerable to a suspension. And the chances of the Caps ever getting through a long postseason run without Wilson taking a suspension are slim to none. At least not if he doesn't make an adjustment to what he's doing.

 

[TooManyHumans]

He's absolutely a difference maker but it is by running around targeting heads. 3 times so far this playoffs. Hopefully he doesn't get a chance to add to that total.

 

[905PENS]

Can you imagine what would have happened to ZAR if the majority of the impact wasn't on the shoulder!!

Has anyone ever pushed a dolls face in? Probably something like that.