Tom Wilson and Brad Marchand are known as two of the hardest players to play against in the NHL.

While part of that reputation has been earned by their skill and two-way ability on the ice, an even larger part has to do with how divisive and, oftentimes, line-crossing and controversial their play has been throughout their careers. Their sandpapery play has made them two of the league’s top public enemies, which is something the two were apparently able to bond over when invited to attend Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp this past summer.

Wilson discussed his newfound friendly dynamic with Marchand while walking the streets of Washington, DC, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman for a recent special on Wilson’s dream to represent his country at this year’s Olympic Games in Italy. Friedman asked the Capitals’ alternate captain if he’s ever discussed with Marchand the shared scrutiny the two get for almost anything they do on the ice.

“Yeah, there was something on Instagram the other day, a tournament tree for the most hated player in the league, and I think we were facing off in the finals,” Wilson said. “I jokingly took a screenshot of it and sent it to him because we connected in Calgary this summer at the orientation camp.”

The tournament tree on Instagram that Wilson speaks of was a poll conducted by user @soghockey, in which Marchand ultimately won over Wilson in the final matchup. The two were joined in the tournament by a slew of notorious NHL pests like Tie Domi, Chris Neil, Claude Lemieux, Sean Avery, Steve Ott, and Ryan Reaves.

Wilson and Marchand, who have never fully come to blows with each other on the ice, certainly have the disciplinary records to match their reputations, with Wilson having been suspended six separate times and Marchand suspended an NHL record eight times. Both players have also forfeited over $1 million in fines during their careers, supplanting Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger at the top of that leaderboard.

“I think we go back and forth on who’s forfeited the most money in fines in NHL history,” Wilson said. “Because it was Pronger for a long time, and then I think Marchand, then I caught him, then he passed me, and then I passed him. So we go back and forth.”

Marchand is the latest of the two to see his pockets affected by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, losing $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Buffalo Sabres this past October. After taking two penalties on Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, Marchand carried Dahlin’s helmet to the penalty box and ripped all of the straps off of it.

Wilson’s latest run-in with the DoPS was also a $5,000 fine, which he received last April after he and Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson brawled on the Capitals’ bench at the end of a period during the two teams’ playoff series. The 31-year-old forward has so far had a clean 2025-26 season, although he was criticized for a big hit that injured Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil in October.

Whether the two major antagonists will become teammates at the Olympics in February is still up in the air. Marchand was on Canada’s roster and served as an alternate captain during their successful run to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship last season. He has 34 points (18g, 16a) in 30 games for the Florida Panthers this year.

Wilson is more on the team’s bubble than Marchand, and is expected to be within a group of players fighting for the last seven or eight spots up until the roster submission deadline. Canada’s primary decision-makers, including general manager Doug Armstrong, recently convened in Florida for a series of meetings to finalize most of the roster before the December 31 deadline.