Alex Ovechkin Is Pissed Off About Department Of Player Safety Ruling

Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals has been suspended for 7 games for his brutal hit on Brandon Carlo of the Boston Bruins. Wilson has announced that he will not appeal the suspension and will forfeit $311,781 based on the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and his salary. Ovechkin is upset about the NHL Department of Player Safety's ruling against Wilson.

Wilson has not been punished as a repeat offender due to the time elapsed between this suspension and his last. However, this is his fifth suspension and he has been fined on two other occasions. That's quite a disciplinary history for a player just 26 years old. Nonetheless, he will not appeal the decision. However, Capitals' Captain Alex Ovechkin has much to say about the decision.

Ovechkin stated that the ruling from the Department of Player Safety is a 'kind of a joke', but his further comments are far more revealing. Ovechkin discussed the hit with the on ice officials who were overseeing the game on Friday night and claims they informed him they felt it did not even warrant a two minute minor. The refs on the ice did not call a penalty on the play, but did review it later in the game.

Ovechkin: Wilson's 7-game suspension is 'kind of a joke' https://t.co/jrZFPcFey6 pic.twitter.com/PbU1Sh0QEz
— theScore NHL (@theScoreNHL) March 7, 2021