Canada’s Tom Wilson drops gloves in rare Olympic hockey fight

MILAN — Who said there aren’t hockey fights at the Olympics?

Tom Wilson clearly doesn’t care that he’s being shunned on the international stage.

Wilson dropped the gloves late in Canada’s 10-2 loss to France on Sunday, lashing out at the player who forearmed teammate Nathan MacKinnon in the head minutes earlier.

“Obviously fighting isn’t a big thing in this tournament, but when a guy goes after one of our big guys, that’s what Willy does,” said three-time Olympian Drew Doughty. “I mean, he does a lot more than that, but it was great to see him step up.”

Wilson fought off Pierre Crinon, who took a two-minute minor penalty and apologized to MacKinnon after the third-period hit. Scoring 25 seconds into the ensuing power play was not enough punishment in the eyes of the Canadian players.

“We didn’t like the hit: We felt like it was late and high,” tournament leading scorer Connor McDavid said. “Willy just finished a check and the guy jumps on him, and Willy protects himself. That’s all he can do. That’s the type of guy he is, the type of teammate he is. Nothing but respect for him.”

Unlike the NHL, where it is a 5-minute major penalty, fighting is misconduct under International Ice Hockey Federation rules, so Wilson and Crinon were sent off. The outcome had already been determined for a long time and Wilson only missed the last seven minutes of the match.

“We’re used to a lot more going on than that, so it was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Defending his teammates is easy for him.”

Wilson also had a goal and an assist, and the fight earned him what is known in hockey as a “Gordie Howe hat trick.”

The 31-year-old winger is one of Canada’s few new players who did not feature in the 4 Nations showdown a year ago, when there were three fights in the first nine seconds of the team’s opener against the United States.

Wilson’s fight took place exactly a year after those, when Canadians Brandon Hagel, Sam Bennett and Colton Parayko took on Americans Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk and JT Miller.

“Look, I don’t think we can get through this tournament without seeing one,” Hagel said, smiling. “We were probably talking about him coming to the tournament. But that’s exactly what Willy does: he defends his teammates.”

MacKinnon, who was slow to get up and spent time on the bench before returning, appreciated Wilson defending him.

“This guy obviously didn’t want to fight Tom,” MacKinnon said. “He just wanted to wrestle. I wouldn’t want to fight Tom either.”

Wilson was undoubtedly a choice for his physique and puck-recovery ability, as well as his high-level production in North America with the Washington Capitals. He is their top scorer with 49 points in 50 games this season.

He’ll likely be the Capitals’ captain when Alex Ovechkin retires, and Cooper called Wilson “remarkable in the locker room.” Fighting in the Olympics only gives Wilson, who has not spoken to reporters afterward, more credibility with his teammates.

“We know Willy has our back,” Bennett said. “He’s going to protect all of our guys and bring energy. We like that about Willy. He’s going to do everything for our team.”

Fiery goalie Jordan Binnington, known for hitting a player or two with his blocker when he’s upset, also loved it.

“I really wasn’t surprised,” Binnington said. “It’s hockey, right? It’s hockey.”