Canada’s Tom Wilson and French defenseman Pierre Crinon dropped the gloves during Sunday’s Winter Olympics clash, and both were instantly ejected for fighting on the ice
Tom Wilson is blocked by officials after attempting to land more hits on Pierre Crinon(Image: 2026 RvS.Media/Monika Majer)
Team Canada winger Tom Wilson was ejected from Sunday’s 10-2 win over France after fighting with Pierre Crinon, and could face a further suspension.
Canada has breezed through the first three games at the Winter Olympics, but Sunday’s 10-2 victory was its largest victory of the competition. North American fans are dreaming of a Canada-USA gold medal match after the NHL finally allowed players to travel and compete.
However, unlike in the NHL, fighting is not allowed at the Olympics, and players are subject to instant ejection. Wilson, a serial enforcer for the Washington Capitals in the NHL, got physical and threw hands with Crinon on the ice.
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Wilson had an eventful afternoon in Milan, scoring, assisting, and leaving the ice after a fight. The incident occurred in the third period when Canada was already leading France 10-2.
A frustrated France group was out of their depth, but Crinon delivered a forearm to the head of Canada star Nathan MacKinnon. Minutes later, Wilson dropped the gloves with Crinon.
Officials frantically attempted to break up the fight and separate both players before sending them back to the team locker rooms. In the NHL, players are handed a five-minute penalty for fighting, but in the Olympics, it’s an automatic ejection.
Wilson skates off the ice after being ejected for fighting with Pierre Crinon(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Players who engage in fighting are subject to further discipline, and the International Ice Hockey Federation could take action. However, Wilson is now facing an automatic one-game suspension, which some fans feared.
Suspensions in hockey at the Olympics are rare but usually stem from incidents such as head hits and fighting. In this instance, both Crinon and Wilson were assessed to have committed both violations.
It remains to be seen if Wilson is disciplined, but although he is the first hockey player to instigate a fight at the Milan-Cortina Games, one player has already been suspended. Italian winger Cristiano DiGiacinto was handed a one-game ban for hitting Slovakia defenseman Martin Fehervary in the head.
Wilson and Crinon dropped the gloves in the third period of Sunday’s game(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
DiGiacinto was initially given a two-minute minor penalty for his hit, a standard call. However, the footage was reviewed, and the IIHF stepped in to increase the punishment after the game.
The IIHF could do the same with Wilson and Crinon, as Canada waits to see its schedule for the remainder of the Winter Olympics. Canada won all three preliminary round games and will now head to the next stage.
Canada started the Milan-Cortina Games with a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic, before beating Switzerland 5-1. The humiliating win over France was the most impressive yet, as 15 players registered a point.
Connor McDavid, considered the best hockey player in the world, already has nine points in three games for Team Canada. Star prospect Macklin Celebrini leads the Olympics in goals, scoring four already in Milan.