Winter Olympics tradition broken as fight erupts on ice and NHL star punished – Daily Express

Canada rallied behind winger NHL star Tom Wilson after he initiated a fight to defend a teammate during their commanding victory over France at the Winter Olympics. Canada’s 10-2 triumph had already delivered plenty of spectacle for spectators when Wilson took exception to an opponent’s actions.
Whilst fighting is commonplace and an established element of ice hockey, it is typically discouraged at the Winter Olympics, but with Canada’s victory already secured, Washington Capitals veteran Wilson chose to confront France’s Pierre Crinon. Canada had been angered by Crinon crashing into Nathan MacKinnon in the third period, striking him in the face with his forearm.
The Frenchman received a two-minute penalty, and Canada found the net during the subsequent power play, but that wasn’t sufficient payback for Wilson. The 31-year-old threw his gloves onto the ice to square up to Crinon, despite being aware it would result in his dismissal from the match.
The International Ice Hockey Federation classifies fighting as misconduct, leading to ejections for both Wilson and Crinon with seven minutes remaining of the contest. That seemed to be a sanction worth accepting for Canada, who had already wrapped up the match and are well-placed for the knockout phase of the men’s ice hockey tournament in Italy. His actions were warmly received in the Canada changing room, too.
“We didn’t like the hit: felt like it was late and high,” Canadian star Connor McDavid said. “Willy just finishes a check, and the guy jumps him, and Willy’s just protecting 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.
“That guy obviously didn’t want to fight Tom,” MacKinnon said about his teammate, who stands at 6ft 4in. “He just wanted to wrestle. I wouldn’t want to fight Tom either.”
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate  or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings“Obviously, fighting isn’t a big thing in this tournament, but when a guy takes a run at one of our big guys, that’s what Willy does,” Drew Doughty said. “I mean, he does a lot more than that, but it was great to see him step up.
“We know Willy’s got our backs,” Sam Bennett said. “He’s going to protect all our guys and bring the energy. We love that from Willy. He’s going to do anything for our team.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s head coach, Jon Cooper, had no issues with the fracas. “We’re used to a lot more than that happening, so it was pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things,” he said. “Sticking up for his teammates, that’s an easy one for him.”
And the sentiments of Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington encapsulated the team’s feelings. “I definitely wasn’t surprised,” he said. “That’s hockey, right? That’s hockey.”
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The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games is running from February 6-22 and fans can enjoy more than 850 hours of action live on discovery+ via Prime Video.
Throughout the games, the £3.99 discovery+ Entertainment subscription will provide access to TNT Sports 2, the home of 24/7 Olympic coverage.
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