NHL Must Throw the Book at Capitals’ Goon Tom Wilson
The National Hockey League needs to step in and protect its players from unabashed cheap-shot artists like Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson.
On Sunday, Wilson lined up an easy target in Vancouver Canucks center Filip Chytil. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Wilson delivered a heavy, blindside hit on Chytil near the end of the first period.
With the Capitals trailing 3-0, Wilson decided to take out his frustration on an unsuspecting and helpless Chytil, who had just released the puck on a neutral-zone rush.
Chytil did not return to the game. The 26-year-old has a history of concussions and needed to be helped off the ice.
After review, no penalty was called on the play, and it was announced as “a clean hit.”
Back on Mar. 15, Chytil suffered his fifth career concussion when he was on the receiving end of a brutal hit from behind from Chicago Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson. No supplemental discipline was issued to Dickinson from the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Dickinson skated away scot-free. Chytil would miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Does that seem fair in any kind of way?
It’s Time to Get Serious About Player Safety
Now, it’s possible that Chytil may have suffered a sixth career concussion due to the whiplash nature of Wilson’s hit. At some point, Chytil will need to end his career prematurely because the NHL refuses to adequately protect the health and safety of its players.
Too Often, Greats Have Hung up Their Skates Prematurely
Calling it the Department of Player Safety is a joke. Who are they keeping safe here? It seems like they’re doing a lot more to ensure that the goons are safe from discipline rather than actually protecting the guys who play it clean.
Too often, we’ve seen great players have their careers shortened by repeated concussions.
Former No. 1 overall pick Rick Nash was one of the league’s brightest stars during a career spent mostly with the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers.
Nash suffered at least three known concussions – and probably sustained several other traumatic brain injuries that went undiagnosed throughout his 15 years in the NHL.
While a member of the Boston Bruins, Nash suffered the final concussion of his career when he was hit high by Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette on Mar. 17, 2018.
Earlier that season, Paquette served a one-game suspension for boarding then-Bruin Torey Krug. That slap on the wrist punishment did nothing to deter Paquette from ending Nash’s career.
Nash initially waited for his concussion symptoms to fade before he ultimately retired from the league prematurely at age 34.
Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros and Pat LaFontaine are among Hockey Hall of Famers to have their careers shortened by repeated concussions and post-concussion syndrome.
Kariya was asked by TSN’s Michael Farber in 2017 about the possibility of the league hiring someone like him to work for NHL Player Safety.
“That’s a question for the league,” Kariya responded.
In the same interview, Kariya pointed to the need for the league to take head shots more seriously.
“I think today we’re in a way better spot (than) when I retired,” he said. “Things are moving in the right direction, but still those targeted head shots are still in the game. And for me, there’s no reason to have that in the game.”
Currently, the NHL Department of Player Safety is run by former enforcer George Parros. The 45-year-old recorded just 36 points across 474 career regular season games, while being whistled for 1,092 penalty minutes.
Having Parros as the head of NHL Player Safety feels a bit like inmates running the asylum. Maybe there would be actual change if someone whose career was cut short by head shots like Kariya, Nash or Marc Savard was in charge.
It's long overdue for the NHL to finally get serious about concussions and player safety.
ikings WR Justin Jefferson takes full responsibility for his drop—his shocking words will leave you rethinking his mindset
The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22. The slim margin of defeat makes Justin Jefferson’s dropped touchdown reception against Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean stand out, and the All-Pro wide receiver is certainly taking it to heart.
Jefferson finished the game with five receptions for 79 yards. He was officially held out of the end zone following strong comments regarding that aspect of his game before the contest.
After the loss, Jefferson did not mince words about that battle with DeJean.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Delivers Blunt Take on Eagles CB Cooper DeJean
DeJean drew attention for his, as Pro Football Focus suggested on X after the play, lockdown coverage on Jefferson on the play during a drive that eventually saw the Vikings settle for a field goal.
Asked if he believed his “drop” was actually DeJean breaking up the pass, Jefferson said, “nah.”
“All respect to him, but that, that’s a catch any day of the week,” Jefferson told reporters on October 19. “I just gotta be more focused into pulling the ball into me and towards instead of just laying the ball out there and letting him just knock the ball out my hand. So, I would say that’s more on me than on him.”
DeJean celebrated the incompletion, as DBs are wont to do. However, it was Jefferson who was touting his abilities and, really, his mindset before the game.
“To be honest, wherever that ball touched my hand, I’m trying to get in that [end]zone,” Jefferson told Vikings legend Randy Moss on “Sunday NFL Countdown” on October 19. “So, it can be in the red zone, it can be from 50, or it might go 97 [yards] again. Who knows?”
Jefferson’s longest reception of the day went for 40 yards on a catch-and-run.
Justin Jefferson Points Out Red Zone Issues
Jefferson said that the Vikings’ struggles in the red zone were due to “just hurting ourselves and just causing us to go backwards instead of forward. We just got to execute our plays to the fullest and just take one play at a time. And when the opportunity comes, make those plays.”
The Vikings were 1-for-6 on the day in the red zone, including Jefferson’s drop.
“One of those red zone drives is – that’s me, dropping a touchdown, and not really pulling the ball all the way in. And I’m always critical on myself,” Jefferson said. “And always, especially when my opportunities are very, very slim. So, those are opportunities, I got to make the most of them.”
Making the most of their opportunities was a theme for the Vikings during Jefferson’s postgame availability.
Justin Jefferson Remains Confident in Vikings
Asked if the Vikings were trying to “figure it out” during the game, Jefferson said. “Yeah and no.”
“Honestly, it’s just executing those plays, those one or two plays, every drive that kind of hurts us and put us in bad positions. But I don’t feel like we’re still trying to ‘find out’ or still trying to ‘figure out what’s going on,’” Jefferson said.
“We understand what’s going on. We have the players out there that make the plays and do what we need to do to go down and score; we just need to finish those drives, especially games like this. We’re competing against a team that just won a Super Bowl. So, plays like that and making the most of those opportunities is the things that count.”
Jefferson and the Vikings will look to regroup in Week 8. They will visit the Los Angeles Chargers on a short week for “Thursday Night Football.”
