Washington Capitals: It’s okay to hate Tom Wilson

It’s time we discuss Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, who has quickly become the NHL’s next great villain.

Kick off your shoes, pour a tall glass of ice water, sit down, and relax. We’re here to discuss something that seems like common sense but could also be rather controversial. That’s right, we’re going to talk about Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson.

The Capitals forward has made a name for himself. Some think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and others want to see him banished from the league. You either love him or you hate him.

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It’s okay to not like Tom Wilson. You don’t have to like a guy who has earned the reputation of a headhunting goon. Hockey fans across the league have watched his behavior injury players on their favorite team.

In the 2018-2019 preseason, Wilson nearly killed St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. It was a preseason game and he couldn’t hold himself back. He was dished a 20 game suspension but only served 16 games. Speaks to the level of undisciplined of a player he is.

On Monday, December 23rd, Tom Wilson speared Bruins forward David Pastrnak. The spear went uncalled and tensions bled over late into the game. Wilson and Pastrnak dropped gloves but not before everyone got involved. He then lunged on top of an official while throwing punches at his opponent. Yikes.

Then, on December 27th, the Washington Capitals faced off against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wilson body checked Jakob Lilja headfirst into the boards. You can watch the hit and decide for yourself if he left his feet. It appears that he does but the Department of Player Safety did not believe so.

It goes without saying that some of his hits are clean hockey hits. However, it could be argued that there’s intent to injury. Last week, Wilson hit Bruins defenseman Torey Krug and has left him on the IR with an upper-body injury.

I’d be here until 2021 listing off Wilson’s offenses. The point here is that it’s really okay to hate Wilson. You can hate him because he’s handsome or because he does good things off the ice. You can hate him because he appears to be undisciplined on the ice or because he’s left your favorite player off the ice for some time. You can hate him over there, over here, or anywhere. Just don’t be a bum and direct threats towards him or his loved ones.