Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson gets seven-game suspension for boarding Boston Bruins' Brandon Carlo
Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson went more than two years without a suspension as he revised the way he checks.
But Friday night, he sent a player to the hospital with a heavy hit, and the NHL came down hard Saturday with a seven-game suspension for boarding.
It's his fifth suspension and second-longest of his career. He'll forfeit $311,781.61 in pay.
Wilson checked Brandon Carlo hard into the boards in the first period of Boston’s 5-1 victory Friday night, and the Bruins defenseman immediately grabbed his head and appeared dazed as he needed help leaving the ice surface. He was released from the hospital Saturday morning.
Wilson has a history of suspensions, including one for 20 games for an illegal hit to the head of Oskar Sundqvist during the 2018-19 preseason. That was his fourth suspension in 105 games. The suspension was reduced to 14 games by an independent arbitrator.
His other suspensions were two games for a late hit, four games for boarding and three playoff games for an illegal check to the head that broke the jaw of the Pittsburgh Penguins' Zach Aston-Reese.
The Bruins came after Wilson on Friday night as the game progressed, with Boston's Jarred Tinordi fighting him in the second period and Trent Frederic taking him on in the third period.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Capitals' Tom Wilson suspended seven games for hit on Brandon Carlo
