Canadian hockey player Tom Wilson ejected from Olympic game for fighting after teammate hit

During Canada's 10-2 preliminary round victory over France at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Canadian forward Tom Wilson fought French defenseman Pierre Crinon in the third period. The altercation occurred several minutes after Crinon hit Canadian center Nathan MacKinnon with an elbow to the head while MacKinnon was behind the net without the puck. Referees initially called a major penalty on the hit but reduced it to a two-minute minor after video review. Crinon apologized to MacKinnon for the hit.

After Crinon exited the penalty box following a Canadian power play goal, Wilson delivered a hard check on him and the two began grappling. The fight consisted mainly of wrestling with the players grabbing each other's jerseys rather than throwing punches. Under International Ice Hockey Federation rules, fighting is classified as a game misconduct rather than a five-minute major as in the NHL, so both players were ejected with about seven minutes remaining. Wilson had already recorded a goal and an assist before the fight, achieving what's known as a "Gordie Howe hat trick."

Canadian teammates including Connor McDavid, Drew Doughty, and MacKinnon himself expressed support for Wilson's actions, characterizing it as defending a teammate. Coach Jon Cooper called it "harmless in the grand scheme of things." Initial reports suggested Wilson could face supplemental discipline from the IIHF, though later reporting indicated neither player would be suspended.

The severity of Crinon's hit on MacKinnon is characterized differently across sources but none provide detailed medical information about whether MacKinnon was injured or required evaluation. The articles don't explain why referees downgraded the penalty from major to minor after video review, which would clarify whether the hit was considered as dangerous as players suggested. Most coverage frames this entirely through the Canadian team's perspective with minimal input from French players beyond a brief quote from captain Pierre-Édouard Bellemare dismissing it as not a real fight. The actual IIHF rules on fighting and potential supplemental discipline are referenced inconsistently, with some sources saying suspension was possible and others reporting it was not. Context on whether such incidents are truly rare at the Olympics or if the "no fighting" narrative is overstated would help readers understand if this was genuinely unusual.