Olympic hockey star explains why he risked ejection to fight player that was suspended for rest of Games

Tom Wilson recovered himself successful no-man’s onshore implicit the weekend.

An enforcer successful the NHL, the Team Canada prima knew that dropping the gloves with France's Pierre Crinon could get him booted from Olympic contention — conscionable arsenic it had with the Frenchman himself.

The 2 men fought with astir 7 minutes near to play successful the lucifer that Canada won 10-2. Both players were ejected from the crippled nether Olympic rules, but France's hockey federation took it a measurement further and suspended Crinon for the remainder of the Games.

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Tom Wilson of Team Canada and Pierre Crinon of Team France combat successful the 3rd play during the Men's Preliminary Group A lucifer betwixt Canada and France connected time 9 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena connected Feb. 15, 2026, successful Milan, Italy.  (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)

Wilson, a subordinate of the Washington Capitals, appeared to question immoderate payback for teammate Nathan MacKinnon taking a hard deed earlier successful the game, but it was wide that Crinon wanted to instrumentality things to the adjacent level, arsenic Wilson, the NHL's progressive person successful punishment minutes, held backmost to an extent, but not fully.

"It was benignant of a soiled hit, and it's a small spot antithetic successful the Olympics, however you person to spell astir it. I evidently ended up with the aforesaid feline who had done it," Wilson said to the New York Post. 

"Hockey is an affectional game. It's a competitory game. And erstwhile you travel unneurotic with a large guy, you benignant of person to marque the determination rapidly and the gloves came off. Got thrown down to the ice, and past from there, it's conscionable benignant of a spot of a melee. I mean, it's combat oregon formation astatine that point, you're conscionable benignant of figuring retired what you person to do. Obviously, the crippled was benignant of retired of hand, truthful it wasn't a large woody with 5 minutes near successful the crippled determination that I could perchance get thrown out. I conscionable wanted to instrumentality up for our team."

Pierre Crinon of France fights with Tom Wilson of Canada during the crystal hockey men's preliminary circular Group A lucifer betwixt Canada and France astatine the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games successful Milan, Italy, Feb. 15, 2026.  (Zhang Haofu/Xinhua via Getty Images)

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France’s hockey federation determined that Crinon's actions were against its values and announced he'd nary longer play for them successful the Olympics. France mislaid its playoff qualifying game, 5-1, to Germany connected Tuesday, marking the extremity of their tally connected the ice.

"The provocative behaviour of Pierre Crinon erstwhile helium near the ice, adjacent though helium had conscionable been excluded from the lucifer for a fight, constitutes a wide usurpation of the Olympic tone and besides undermines the values of our sport," the French Ice Hockey Federation (FFHG) said, via Reuters.

Pierre Crinon of Team France combat with Tom Wilson of Team Canada during the Ice Hockey - Group A lucifer betwixt Team Canada and Team France connected time 9 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena connected Feb. 15, 2026, successful Milan, Italy.  (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

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"The determination was truthful taken, successful afloat alignment with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to let his information successful the adjacent match/matches of the Olympic tournament."

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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