ARLINGTON, VA \u2014 When the Capitals left the ice after practice on Wednesday, all eyes were on the locker room television. Nearly 4,000 miles away from MedStar Capitals Iceplex, where the team held its first full practice in two weeks, Team Canada and Team Czechia were facing off in the Olympic quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Players gathered to watch replays as they trickled off the ice, checking in on the score \u2014 then 2-1 in Czechia\u2019s favor \u2014 at the first intermission. While Logan Thompson<\/a> wasn\u2019t on the ice, instead backing up Jordan Binnington<\/a>, the game was still must-see viewing for the Caps, especially since Tom Wilson<\/a> had started the night on Canada\u2019s top line.<\/p>\n Even head coach Spencer Carbery tuned in as soon as he could, watching as Canada made a comeback effort to win 4-3 in overtime.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we came off the ice, everyone sprinted to the lounge, and the game was already underway,\u201d Carbery said.<\/p>\n Wilson has played a notable role for his team in Milan, playing alongside stars Connor McDavid<\/a> and Macklin Celebrini<\/a> for much of the tournament while bringing a rough-and-tumble style of play that has seen him lead Canada with 29 penalty minutes. While Wilson called playing with McDavid a \u201chighlight of [his] career,\u201d Hendrix Lapierre<\/a> argued the honor should go both ways.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s been incredible,\u201d Lapierre said. \u201cRight away when you see him on that line, I knew he was going to do well. He\u2019s such a guy that cares and plays the right way, so I\u2019m sure McDavid and Celebrini are having a blast too. I see Tom talking about Connor McDavid and Celebrini, but I\u2019m sure these guys are having a good time, too. He does it all. He does it all like he does here, and it\u2019s fun to watch.\u201c<\/p>\n Over four games so far, Wilson has tallied three points (2g, 1a) and recorded what may have been the first Gordie Howe hat trick<\/a> on Olympic ice. Wilson\u2019s teammates back in Washington, who have been making his case for months, are thrilled to see what he\u2019s done at the Games.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Tom being Tom,\u201d said Pierre-Luc Dubois<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s the best at what he does in the NHL, and he\u2019s doing it there again at that tournament. People talk about the fight, but I think \u2014 if you don\u2019t watch Tom play, you don\u2019t even know Tom for his fights and his hits \u2014 but if you really watch him play, you realize how good of a player he is, how many little things he does well on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheering for Wilson is an easy choice for the Caps\u2019 Canadian players, but even Americans have enjoyed seeing him on the world stage. Brandon Duhaime<\/a> pointed to Wilson\u2019s commitment to his team \u2014 something Duhaime has seen firsthand in Washington \u2014 as a particular highlight.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the f***ing man,\u201d Duhaime said. \u201cYou might have to bleep that out, but he\u2019s the man. He\u2019s been doing it all for Team Canada, and it\u2019s [a testament to] how good of a teammate he is, and you guys see him sticking up for guys and scoring goals, assists. He\u2019s really doing it all for them, so it\u2019s pretty fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson\u2019s biggest game of the tournament was against France on Sunday, where he recorded two points (1g, 1a) before being thrown out of the game for a rare Olympic fight against Pierre Crinon. The Gordie Howe hat trick garnered international attention, as well as plenty of appreciation<\/a> from the rest of Canada\u2019s roster, but didn\u2019t come as a shock to the Capitals.<\/p>\n \u201cWas I surprised? No,\u201d Lapierre said with a laugh. \u201cBut, I mean, if there\u2019s one guy to do it, it\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Dubois pointed out, the game was a remarkable achievement.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the Olympics started in like 722 B.C., and there hasn\u2019t been one Gordie Howe at the Olympics, I think,\u201d said Dubois. \u201cSo a lot of years, a lot of years. It\u2019s pretty special. He\u2019s going to tell his grandchildren one day that he\u2019s, still probably, going to be the only guy with a Gordie Howe at the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n