Ryan Reaves Tom Wilson-ed Tom Wilson last night and I couldn’t help but think…
Wilson and Reaves are the last of the old school, rough ‘n’ tumble. There may be some goobers out there that agitate (Bertuzzi, Marchand, etc.) but in general “lion[s] in the jungle” are dying off. I can’t say I wasn’t a bloodthirsty savage in my adolescence. Watching the Red Wings-Avs playoff match-ups was the greatest. Seeing Roy v Osgood is something I’ll never forget.
What happened yesterday was different. Yeah, Reaves was sending a message, not just from his guys on the bench but the entire league, that Wilson’s antics won’t be tolerated but you can’t be doing that shit anymore. He could be prematurely ending Wilson’s career.
This really becomes another blight on the NHL Department of Player Safety. They need to be the ones that address these issues. They need to be more punitive if the league is going to continue to push the “lion[s]” out of the jungle and in to the desert to starve and die.