Tom Wilson’s Olympic ruling after the Fiala sequence left everyone reading between the lines
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Team Canada's Tom Wilson received no punishment for his hit on Kevin Fiala, which has some reading between the lines as to what that could potentially mean.
When Kevin Fiala was stretchered off against Team Canada after getting tangled up with Tom Wilson, some were wondering if Wilson would be receiving some disciple considering his past history, and the fact that Fiala is not only out the remainder of the tournament -- but the rest of the season.
But as the hours ticked away there was seemingly no further discussion about the situation and Wilson got away scot-free, some wondered exactly what this might mean going forward.
No punishment for Wilson despite Fiala's season-ending surgery
The play itself was fairly innocuous and there was no malicious intent on Wilson's behalf, the two simply got tangled up and Fiala fell awkwardly into the boards before grimacing in pain and needing to be helped off by medical staff.
While there was no evil intentions, fans did expect Wilson to get some typer of punishment given that the Olympics are much stricter with their player safety and the fact that another situation was resolved in what feels like record time.
Martin Fehervary of Team Slovakia took a hit from Team Italy's Cristiano Digiacinto that was deemed excessive and the forward was issued a one-game suspension for his actions -- something the IIHF went into further:
While the Panel acknowledges that Digiacinto did not intentionally target the head of his opponent, he nonetheless took a poor angle of approach to deliver a hit which resulted in direct contact to the head of Fehervary.
Thus, Digiacinto endangered his opponent and, as such, violated Official Playing Rule 48 (Illegal Check to the Head and Neck).
Thus, Digiacinto endangered his opponent and, as such, violated Official Playing Rule 48 (Illegal Check to the Head and Neck).
Wilson apologetic after Fiala cross-up
In the case of Wilson, he didn't take a poor angle to the hit as he and Fiala were heading into the boards at the same time coming in at opposite angles. It's not like Wilson shifted his feet or adjusted his body; he went to board battle and got caught up with Fiala.
The unfortunate part of things is that Fiala is going to be out for the rest of the season and while in the NHL that would typically call for a suspension; the IIHF works a bit differently and Wilson was nothing but remorseful for how things turned out:
It’s the Olympic Games and I feel terrible that he may not be able to keep playing. Just sending his family and him my best. You never want to see a guy go down, in a tournament like this, especially.
For now, Fiala will need lots of time to recover and Wilson will continue to play even though some are wishing that he was forced to sit for a game (or two).
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
The first suspension of the Olympics has been handed out
The first suspension of the Olympics has been handed out
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 15|1395 ANSWERS Tom Wilson’s Olympic ruling after the Fiala sequence left everyone reading between the lines Does Tom Wilson deserve a suspension for his hit on Kevin Fiala? | ||
| Yes | 260 | 18.6 % |
| No | 1135 | 81.4 % |
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