Report: Bettman stepped in on Wilson's last suspension as Parros saw nothing wrong with the hit

Tom Wilson's antics during the game between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers Monday night continue to be the talk of the hockey world, with opinions on whether Wilson should have been suspended coming from either side. Wilson would end up getting a $5000 fine for punching Pavel Buchnevich in the head while Buchnevich was lying prone on the ice. His slam on Artemi Panarin, which knocked Panarin out for the rest of the season, would get nothing. The Rangers have publicly called on the NHL to fire the head of the Department of Player Safety George Parros, calling him "unfit" to do his job. The NHL has yet to respond, but a report states Wilson's last suspension was essentially the work of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, as Parros did not feel it was worthy of a ban.

The hit in question would be the one on Brandon Carlo of the Boston Bruins. Here's what Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic reported:

"Parros, we've heard, didn't even want to suspend Wilson for the brain-damaging assault on Boston's Brandon Carlo, who suffered mood changes and blurry vision from his concussion after being hospitalized by Wilson in March. Bettman didn't like the optics and ordered a suspension. So Wilson got seven games. Before that, he wasn't even considered a repeat offender, because the CBA erases priors after a certain period of time transpires."

The common refrain from many hockey fans seems to be that someone, an opposing player, needs to teach Wilson a lesson. That all sounds good, but the main question is who? There are possibly two to three players in the league that could go toe-to-toe with Wilson, but "teach him a lesson"? It's doubtful, unless they are willing to do something dirty and take themselves out of the game for a while. I don't see many players stepping up to do that. On top of that, even if someone did step up and took Wilson down in a fight, do people really think he would start acting differently? Guys like Wilson don't care. As soon as he is eligible to come back, he would continue playing in the exact same way he always did. Barring a lifetime ban or someone willing to take Wilson out long-term, or perhaps permanently, Wilson will continue being Wilson. And more suspension and fines are very likely in the future.


Source: The Athletic