Canadian hockey star Tom Wilson banned from Olympic game for fighting
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Canadian ice hockey star Tom Wilson was ejected from Sunday’s matchup against France for fighting with defenseman Pierre Crinon at the Winter Olympics.
The two traded blows in the third period of the preliminary round after Crinon hit Canadian center Nathan MacKinnon with an elbow to the head minutes earlier. Crinon received a two-minute penalty for the hit and apologized to MacKinnon for the hit.
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Canada’s Tom Wilson and France’s Pierre Crinon, center, fight during a preliminary round match at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
But both players met in the shower before the game ended. Players do not receive major five-minute penalties for fighting at the Olympics. Instead, they were both ejected from the game.
Wilson scored a goal and an assist in the game, achieving what is known as the “Gordie Howe hat trick.”
The 31-year-old Washington Capitals player is one of the few new players on the Canadian team who was not on the 4 Nations team last year. The tournament featured players from Team USA and Canada exchanging blows nine seconds into their matchup.
Pierre Crinon and Tom Wilson fight in the third period of the preliminary round match between Canada and France at the Winter Olympics, Sunday, February 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Wilson has 23 goals and 26 assists this season for the Capitals. Washington is fourth in the Metropolitan Division at the Olympic break.
Read more about the 2026 Winter Olympics
On Sunday, Canada defeated France 10-2.
Canadian star Sidney Crosby scored three points in the victory, surpassing Jarome Iginla as the Olympic team’s leading scorer in the Winter Games involving NHL players.
Canada’s Connor McDavid, left, celebrates scoring a goal against France with Tom Wilson at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Canada finishes the group with three wins and a goal differential of plus-17.
The News contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor at News Digital.