On Oct. 3, the National Hockey League issued a 20-game suspension to Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. The incident marks the official beginning of the much-needed era of player safety for the league after an illustrious run of negligence.
Wilson’s suspension is the fifth time that a player has been suspended 20 games or longer. It comes as a huge blow to Wilson, who escaped a large punishment in his previous three suspensions. Despite not getting the hammer laid upon him until this season, he has had multiple encounters with the Department of Player Safety.