Breaking Down Tom Wilson's Hit On Filip Chytil; Why It's Clean & Isn't Expected To Receive Supplemental Discipline
Capitals alternate captain Tom Wilson had a major penalty waived off after his hit on Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil was deemed a clean hit.
Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson is no stranger to reputation that he carries, and he found himself under the spotlight again on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks after a huge hit on center Filip Chytil initially landed him in the penalty box. After review, though, it was deemed a “good hockey hit,” and Wilson returned to the bench.
The NHL Department of Player Safety will take a second look at the hit, per CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal, but at the end of the day, the DoPS is expected to agree that the officials made the right call.
And that they did.
Wilson was coming through the neutral zone when he saw Chytil with the puck, and that’s when he started going in for the hit. Chytil, meanwhile, was not looking, and found himself caught off guard when Wilson collided with him.
The initial contact was not the head; Wilson’s shoulder caught Chytil in the chest, and in turn, Chytil’s head snapped back as he went down hard to the ice. Chytil had to be helped off by trainers as a scrum ensued by the Capitals bench.
Video from Monumental Sports Network
While the argument could be made that the hit was a tad late, Wilson was locked in on the play, saw Chytil with the puck and went for the hit. All the while, Chytil didn’t have his head up and skated into Wilson as he finished his check. As pictured, the initial contact is shoulder to chest.
Chytil has a history of concussion, so it’s certainly not an ideal scenario for the Canucks winger. However, there is a responsibility of the player to be aware of his surroundings and to keep his head up.
Wilson has been suspended six times over the course of his career, with his latest suspension being back in March 2024 when he high-sticked Noah Gregor. The last time he was suspended for a hit was in 2021 when he served a seven-game suspension for boarding Brandon Carlo.
The 31-year-old is well aware of the noise that follows him, but has said that his intention is never to injure. Instead, he’s trying to make plays and set the tone and play a hard-working, honest game, and that’s what he was doing in the first with his team trailing.
Wilson had a goal in the Capitals’ eventual 4-3 loss.